


ORBITALS

by UnderHuman



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan, Treasure Planet (2002)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Space Opera, Bellarke, Dorks in Love, Dubious Science, Endgame Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, IN SPACE!, Idiots in Love, Inspired by Treasure Planet (2002), Kane is a bad guy in this story, Outer Space, Pirates, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Sexual Content, Sky Pirates, Space Opera, Space Pirates, Unresolved Sexual Tension, adventurous!Clarke, pirate!Bellamy, stubborn!Clarke, tattooed!Bellamy, two idiots in space and in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:28:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 22,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29067333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnderHuman/pseuds/UnderHuman
Summary: "Someone’s not happy serving tables." Bellamy spoke, instead of making requests, and the blonde named Clarke narrowed her dazzling eyes in his direction. He saw Murphy stick his face in his hands and mumble something about just wanting quality food."Thank you, detective." She replied sharply, putting her hand on her waist and shaking the small notebook. She looked at him with interest, as if she was deciding the fate of his life based on the next words.Then she said:"The order."When the most disered map in the galaxy falls into the hands of one Clarke Griffin, she embarks on an adventure aboard the Apollo XX pirate ship , developing complicated feelings towards the feared Captain Bellamy Blake.orThe Bellarke space pirates no one asked for.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake & Clarke Griffin, Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Emori/John Murphy (The 100), Monty Green & Nathan Miller
Comments: 14
Kudos: 20





	1. HESTIA'S OUTBURST

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my first bellarke fanfiction!! I'm so exciting about writing this stuff, seriously. It's ispired by the Disney movie Treasure Planet, mixed with some Firefly and some scifi (that actually is not that scientific lol). I hope you guys enjoy it!!! 
> 
> A massive thank you to my best friend, official translator and beta marileal (pls read her stuff, its really good https://archiveofourown.org/users/marileal )!!! English its not my first language so she helped me translating the entire thing (i'm brazilian so i write mostly in portuguese). 
> 
> Ok, then. See you next chapter!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy orders food and Clarke flirts with a pirate.

_ PROLOGUE _

_ On an ancestral Earth, marked by the presumptuous certainty of superiority in the Universe, she created something. Unsuspicious, she imagined the sky as a metropolis. The stars were like the lights of a city in the dark, and she liked to imagine what inhabited those distant buildings. Oh, how she wanted to be able to see the different types of life that passed through the glowing pitch! Seduced by the enigmatic void, she drew a path in the sky of her home, with the innocent intention of connecting the entire cosmic existence in one communion. _

_ Deluded by the romantic idea she had of her own race, she forgot those who preferred the path of destruction. _

  
  


**CHAPTER I**

**HESTIA’S OUTBURST**

"Why is it that people are so fascinated by space?" she asked, looking up at the dark sky above them. “Captivated by an endless darkness and a cold that never stops? An infinite vacuum that could kill us in the blink of an eye? ” He had heard her words in silence, his vision blurred by the light that the full moon provided. "It's a little scary, isn't it?"

**j.d.m.**

**ARK STATION, ANDROMEDA’S BELT**

**2145-GF DISTRICT - THE DROPSHIP RESTAURANT, YEAR 2785**

"I’m not arguing with you about this again, Clarke."

Abby's once youthful, sparkling eyes, now tired and rigid, looked at her earnestly. The wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes started to become more evident after she started to rule the restaurant, and her once light brown hair began to spill small droplets of silver threads over her head.

"You can't keep me in this shitty place forever." Clarke knew she was right and always liked to emphasize that to her mother. Attempts of emotional and financial blackmail no longer worked as the restaurant had a great clientele and the two maintained a civilized relationship. She couldn't bear living in that District anymore, knowing that there was so much out there. “As soon as Maya comes back, I’ll pick up my stuff and leave. It’s not a threat anymore, mom. It's a promise."

The lizard-faced man cleared his throat and pointed at his empty table, signaling to his food on the tray held by Clarke. She glared at him and, ignoring her mother's “We'll talk about it later”, put the food on the table with unnecessary force, almost spilling the pseudo-reptile's tea.

"Sorry, Cint." Said the blonde and went back to taking orders and leading them to the kitchen, where Jasper and Monty were arguing.

"...mustard! It's not the right flavor! ”

“Jasper, just because you don't like mustard, doesn't mean that customers can't like it! Let the girl eat her sandwich with mustard, she is the one paying for it! ”

"Harper hates mustard." Clarke says, placing orders on the small counter located between the bar and the kitchen. Through the opening, she sees Jasper roll his eyes and adjust the glasses on his head.

“Of course you do. It's bitter and sour and yellow! It looks like goo.”

“Your personal taste in condiments is not relevant, Jas. Now stop messing around and place your orders before Abbyzilla shows up. ”

Clarke laughed at Monty's nickname and sighed, feeling more and more exhausted. The routine of co-running a restaurant became more tiresome as time passed. Jake was everywhere: the pictures on the walls, his mother's ring, even in the mirror ... Every time she stared at the mirror, her blue eyes like her father's brought back the painful memory of her loss.

Clarke observed the modest restaurant. The multi-colored curtains, the barrels turned into benches and the metal walls painted by her were part of the only place she could call home. After her father's alleged betrayal against the ArkStation Council, she and her mother had their home taken, and had to save up their money to survive. At first, The Dropship was what its name said - a ship lying on the edge of a cliff, in a questionable area of the Ark space station 2145-GF district. With a lot of manual work and adjustments, she and Abby managed to transform the place into a “roadside” restaurant, where passersby ate their meals between trips. Some clients lived nearby, becoming regulars and eventually their friends.

As much as Clarke loved the restaurant, she couldn't take it anymore. With so many magnificent things to experience, people and places to meet, the last thing she wanted to do was to serve fries to lizards for the rest of her life.

The rain was pouring down outside the old ship, drops falling against the steel walls and reverberating metallic sounds throughout the room. The cold gray day had a strange anticipation in its air, as if the electricity from the rays in the sky reflected on Clarke's nerves.

The buzz of conversation and the heat of the fireplace kept the restaurant warm, and the smell of coffee and hot chocolate brought a momentary comfort to the blonde, who watched the different faces - half-lizards, tentacles instead of a beard, canine teeth and metal limbs - talk amicably.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jasper came up beside her, making the tray in her hands tremble and almost slip through her fingers.

"What?!" Clarke exclaimed, narrowly rebalancing the glasses and plates in her hands and giving him a side eye. Jasper showed an amused smile. "If I dropped it, you would clean it up."

"Nah, I'm too beautiful to be cleaning up other people's mess."

"Your job is literally to clean up other people's mess."

Jasper shrugged, pointing his finger at the kitchen, where Monty was preparing orders.

“More specifically, the mess he makes in the kitchen. I've never seen so many dirty pots like that, for the love of- ”

_ BOOM! _

His sentence was interrupted by an explosion coming from outside the restaurant, followed by a shrill noise, as if something very heavy was being dragged against iron. The Dropship shuddered, and for a second Clarke thought the ship was going to slide down the cliff and kill them all.

"What the fuck?" Startled, she dropped the tray on the counter, and her first instinct after checking on her mother - with the same expression as Clarke’s, her left hand on her chest and the other resting on the counter - is to run towards the noise.

"CLARKE, WAIT!" She heard Abby's voice, but ignored it, running out the door.

The heavy rain blocked part of her view, forcing her to blink quickly to whisk away the insistent water. On the deck that marked the mountain path to the restaurant, approximately ten meters away, a ship was on fire. It didn’t appear to be completely destroyed, but the rear turbines that came out of smoke and the missing circuit boards on the side indicated that it wouldn’t be easy to repair it.

The glass that separated the pilot from the outside environment was broken on the left side, emanating so much smoke that Clarke couldn't see anything. Cautiously, she walked towards the wreckage, her heart about to jump out of her mouth. The rain didn’t cease, making it difficult to walk on the slippery deck.

She didn't plan on putting herself in imminent danger, seriously. However, her curiosity was greater than fear. She had always been attracted to situations that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. At the restaurant's door, she heard Jasper and Monty trying to calm her mother down, who was desperate to yell at Clarke. 

Getting close enough to touch the glass, she paused, taking a deep breath. Clarke hoped that her father was wrong, and that her morbid curiosity would not leave her without a limb, or make her explode into pieces. Surely the person who was inside the ship would need help after having their ship practically destroyed.

Clarke approached the vehicle, apprehensive. Inside there was only smoke, and no view of the pilot. Again, without thinking too much about what she was doing, she brought her hand up to the glass — which was hot as an ember. Automatically her hand moved away from the contact, her fingers stinging with a possible burn.

The glass suddenly opened and a hand grabbed her wrist, making her jump and try to break free. The hairy, clawed hand held her tightly and after the smoke came out, she came face to face with yellow cat eyes. The catwoman had a cut on her head and her other hand around her torso, where her coat was soaked with blood. The rough and rapid breathing and the movement of her lips with exposed fangs showed that she wanted to say something.

Ignoring the instinct to run, Clarke came closer to try to understand what the cat was saying.

"Heda ..." she whispered and Clarke was startled, recognizing the language spoken. A spherical and hot object was placed in her hand, small enough to disappear when closing it. The words uttered immediately by the feline lips sent a chill through her body and made Clarke’s heart freeze.

_ "Skaiheda." _ She said. _ "Oso gonplei nou ste odon." _

* * *

**PLANET AZGEDA, ARTEMIS’S BELT. SOMEWHERE AROUND THE 2143-GT DISTRICT**

**APOLLO XX SPACESHIP**

"Raven, the tower!"

“I can see it, you fucking idiot! I’m missing a leg, not both eyes! ”

"Shut up and concentrate on getting us out of here!"

Bellamy was furious.

As Raven dodged hangars, towers and space decks while trying to get them out of the sight of grounder’s lasers, Emori screamed profanities and Murphy rolled his eyes as if irritated by the situation, he and Miller looked at each other seriously in a silent conversation. 

"Do not look at me like that." Miller grunted, shouting and cursing. “When it comes to Octavia, you never listen to anyone. Nothing would change your mind. ”

"Maybe if someone checked the fucking right ship number, we wouldn't be in that situation." Bellamy said, glaring at Murphy.

“Hey, don't blame me! You said Trikru ship. There was only that one. How was I supposed to guess that Octavia wasn't in it but a bunch of Reapers ?! ”

"Maybe because of the amount of star powder smuggled in it, Murphy!"

"You two, shut up!" Raven shouted from the rudder, her brow furrowed in concentration. The space ship swayed, hitting its side in a command tower. "I got a breach to jump, so you better hold on."

Taking a leap and traveling at the speed of light always made the Captain of the Apollo ship nauseous. He felt like his stomach was being left behind, along with his reasoning ability. However, considering the situation his crew was in, Bellamy would rather lose his vital organs a thousand times than be captured by space cannibal addicts.

Octavia used to call the Reapers vacuum cleaners, which always brought a smile to his face. He missed his sister very much, and the realization that he had failed to find her was like losing her again. The longer they took to find the Trikru ship that had "rescued" her, the greater the chances of O. not surviving.

“... a small deregulation in the rear thrusters. But nothing I can't solve. ” The voice of Raven Reyes, his pilot and second in command, interrupted his thoughts, and only then did he realize he was safe and sound somewhere in space, away from Reapers and grounders. The emptiness of space, once comforting, seemed to mock him, the stars and distant planets shining through the darkness.

_ Watch the stars, Bell. They are beautiful from afar, but if you get too close, they can blind you. _

"Captain?" Emori spoke up, placing the robotic hand lightly on his shoulder. He shudders at the icy touch of steel. "Is everything okay?"

Miller grimaced at the girl's question. He already knew the answer.

"Everything is perfect." Bellamy replied, ironic. "My ship is shattered, we lost half the merchandise and my sister is trapped in a Trikru ship somewhere in space that I DON'T KNOW!" He exclaimed angrily, and Emori sighed, resigned. The girl was not afraid of the Captain, unlike the others. She needed a lot more to scare her. “Thanks to your little boyfriend, we approached the wrong ship and look at what it cost us.”

He felt a twinge of guilt for talking to the poor girl like that, but his frustration was such that he didn't bother to apologize. In addition, he knew that Emori would not take it to heart, she being one of the toughest people on the crew. He was exhausted and angry about it all, feeling powerless for not being able to do anything right in his life.

"Murphy." He said, his voice thick and authoritative, and the boy with the big nose and the look of scorn raised his eyebrows. "If you make any mistakes like that from now on, I'll kick your ass out, got it?"

Murphy sighed and raised his hands in surrender. He knew he had screwed up, and he didn't want to raise Captain Blake's wrath when it came to his sister.

“Look, I'm sorry. I should have known it was a reaper ship. It won't happen again, Captain. ” He said the name wryly, making Bellamy take a deep breath for the thousandth time. If Murphy wasn’t so perceptive, he would kick him out of the crew for being a pain in the ass.

"You are warned." He replied. “Raven. How long can you fix the engines? ”

"Less than an hour."

“Okay, start now. Miller and Emori, I want you to help me look for someone. ”

Miller watches him suspiciously.

"Bellamy, I don't know if it's a good idea ..."

"It's the only way. There are few people capable of tracking a grounder ship without being caught, and you know that. ” Bellamy replied, taking a deep breath. "We need your ex-boyfriend."

* * *

**ARK STATION, DISTRICT 2145-GF, THE DROPSHIP RESTAURANT**

_ Skaiheda. _

The name swirled in Clarke's mind, going round and round in her brain until she got dizzy. After the cat woman said those words, she passed out, leaving Clarke in despair.

To improve the situation, the space guard appeared shortly thereafter, asking questions about grounders and maps, leaving her even more confused. She obviously hid the object on the floor of her room, feeling that if it fell into the hands of the Council, something would go very wrong. The ArkStation Council has controlled the Artemis Belt with ambitious hands of steel since the creation of the planet Mt. Weather. They acted like the peacemakers of the galaxy when, in fact, they were the ones who unbalanced it, trying to dominate smaller planets and charging exorbitant fees that shouldn't exist. Clarke has hated them since his father got a seat on the Council, and has come to hate them even more after his disappearance.

Marcus Kane, chief of the guard and "friend" of his father, approached. His white uniform stood out amid the chaos of rusty metals and kegs of beer, as if he were not part of the environment. He nodded to Abby, who just looked at him with contempt and hurried away. Clarke glared at him.

"To what do I owe the honor of your presence, Chief Kane?" Said the blonde in an acid tone. Kane frowned, but not annoyed with Clarke. His gaze was cold, defiant.

“Hello Clarke. How are you?" He said in a friendly voice. Clarke raised her eyebrows, discredited. How did he have the courage to show up there after what he did to her and her mother?

“Perfect. You didn't come to kick us out of our house again, did you? ”

Kane smiled slightly, as if he found the sassy question funny. He noticed Clarke's hands in the pocket of the apron she wore, and raised an eyebrow with interest.

“Clarke, I know what you think of me. I'm sure I’m not exactly your favorite person after... You know. But I came here to fulfill a promise I made to your father. ”

A lump appeared in Clarke's throat, angry tears threatening to fall out of the corner of her eyes. How dare he say that he would keep them safe after taking them out of their own home, leaving them vulnerable to the world? After he betrayed her father's friendship to the Council? It was Kane's fault that Jake was missing.

“You have no right to talk about my father. I know you came to work, _ sir _ , so just say what you want. ” The words came out like acid from her mouth, anger and frustration making Clarke shiver. Kane was dangerous, as were everyone connected to the Council. She shouldn't underestimate him, but she couldn't control the hatred she felt when she saw the face of the one who betrayed her father.

Kane hesitated, watching his surroundings as if he didn't want anyone to overhear him. Realizing that his men were busy interrogating customers, he approached Clarke and looked at her with almost terrifying gravity.

"I know that the feline woman gave you something ... something that the Council has been after for centuries."

"I do not know what you're talking about." Clarke replied defiantly. Kane was so close that she was able to feel the air as he exhaled. Instinctively, she took a step back, and her back touched against the cold wall of the restaurant. She was cornered.

Behind Kane, her mother ended the conversation with a guard and went towards her. Kane noticed the movement and spoke briefly and quietly.

“I can't do much beyond warning you. Because of the witnesses, they won't do anything for now... ”His eyes closed slightly, menacingly. The neatly trimmed beard smelled of cheap perfume and sweat. “If I were you, I would be careful. Your family already has a certain ... background. You wouldn't want anything to happen to what's left of it, right? ”

"Well, the worst has passed." Abby appeared, wiping her hands on her apron and looking exhausted. The Chief of Guard walked away from the girl, a fake smile on his face. “Kane, we have already answered everything we should. If you can leave us, we are tired and we need to close the restaurant. ”

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it almost immediately, just nodding and heading for the door, calling his guards with a hand gesture. With one last look behind him, he winked at Clarke, walking out the door.

"Are you alright?" Abby asked her daughter, who was staring at the door as if she could burn it with her eyes.

"Yes, just ... Tired."

"Sure." Her mother replied, almost harshly. She looked at Clarke with a mixture of irritation and concern. "I don't know what to do with you Clarke ... At any sign of danger, you run straight into it."

Clarke didn’t answer her mother, still processing the conversation with Kane. The threat was clear. She had to do something before they hurt Abby.

She retired to her room before receiving any lecture from Abby about recklessness and dangerous things. "Curiosity always kills the cat, Clarke." The phrase has never been so true. She took the orb off the floor in her room and examined it. It was a small, golden and worn object, as if someone had touched it many times. Strange markings covered its surface, like a net.

She watched the small orb in the palm of her hand, feeling the tiny intrinsic details on the golden surface that formed constellations at her fingertips.

Something the Council has been looking for for centuries ...

She heard a knock on her door and hid the object under her pillow.

"Hey, it's us." Monty said on the other side of the door. "Can we come in? We brought soup.”

"Sure." She replied, sitting on her small bed in the room she had upstairs in the restaurant.

"What happened out there?" Jasper asked, sitting next to her on the bed and leaning against the wall. He took his giant goggles off his head and played with them. "I heard an explosion that didn't come from our kitchen, and suddenly you were outside, petting a cat."

Monty rolled his eyes and blew on the steaming soup bowl, handing one to Clarke and the other to his friend.

“What he wanted to ask is, are you okay? Did she say anything to you? ”

Clarke shifted uncomfortably, looking intently at the door to make sure her mother wouldn't listen.

"I don't really know what she said." She replied, and ate a spoonful of the soup. "It was in  _ trigedasleng _ ."

Jasper raised his head quickly.

“Grounder's language? Are you sure?"

Clarke nodded, her short blond hair dangling over her shoulders.

“My  _ trigedasleng _ is not the best, but from what I was able to get, there was something related to a commander. She said Heda. ”

Monty shifted uncomfortably in his place on the floor.

"Do you think the guard will come back here?"

Jasper sucked on the soup with a loud noise, causing the other two to stare at him.

"I don’t think so." He said with his mouth full, and Clarke laughed at Monty’s disgusted face. "There is nothing here that they want."

Clarke didn’t reveal the conversation she had with Kane to her friends. The feeling of gravity did not leave her, and she knew that if she told Jasper and Monty that she was in danger, they would do their best to help her, even if it got them into trouble.

But she knew that to unravel the mystery of the object she would need their smart brains, so she decided to break it into parts.

"There's this." Clarke removed the orb under the pillow. The other two opened their eyes wide and looked at each other in surprise.

"But it's just a legend ..." said Jasper to his asian friend.

"They say it's just a legend ... every fairy tale is a little bit true."

"It can't be true." Clarke pronounces, skeptical. “It's just a children's story. There’s no way the treasure planet is real. ”

"Clarke, can I see it?"

She handed the small, heavy ball to Monty, who examined it closely with eyes shining with excitement. He rolled the object between his fingers, pressing between the tracings to find any clue as to what it was.

"There’s an opening on this side that seems to fit some kind of key."

Jasper handles the object, running his long, thin fingers across the golden orb.

"Eureka!" Exclaimed the tall, thin boy, who had found a kind of button on the sphere. From the orb, spectacular lights came out, resembling a galactic hologram, shades of blue and silver illuminating the entire room. The lights formed complex lines and symbols, like a tangle of sparkling cobwebs.

"Cool!" Monty exclaimed, and almost dropped his soup plate on the floor, while Jasper and Clarke watched in delight.

"That is..."

"The map." Whispered Clarke. "The Thanatos map."

A noise was heard on the stairs towards the room, and Clarke soon took the orb and closed it, throwing it under the pillow.

Abby appeared at the bedroom door, looking tired and worried.

"It's everything all right here?"

"Yes mom. We're just eating. Why don't you go get some rest? ”

Abby sighed, holding the pendant of her necklace between her fingers and turning it, a habit she took from Clarke, and nodded, muttering a "good night" and walking towards her room, the door closing just after.

"And now what do we do?" Jasper asked, looking at Clarke as if he expected instructions.

“Skaiheda. Commander of the Sky. ”

Upon hearing the translation, Monty and Jasper open their eyes wide. The name was so powerful, that even whispering it made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up.

"Here's the thing, boys." Clarke said, with determination and fierceness in her eyes. "We are going to find my father."

* * *

**ARK STATION, DISTRICT 2145-GF, THE DROPSHIP RESTAURANT**

**THE DAY AFTER THE SPACESHIP'S ACCIDENT**

"We looked everywhere, Bellamy." Raven proclaimed, exhausted, sitting down on the restaurant chair and massaging the spot where part of her leg meets the steel prosthesis. As much as she was used to walking around with a mechanical leg, the device still left her skin and muscles sore. Emori sent her a sympathetic look, knowing full well the discomfort of a prosthetic limb. “We need a break. Eat something decent once. ”

"I’ll rest when O. is by my side." The Captain replied, tall and grumpy, his shoulders slumped in defeat and dark circles under his eyes. He felt like he had aged a hundred years.

“Bellamy, we really want to find her too. You know you're not the only one who cares about your sister here. ” Miller said beside him. “But you won't find her if you die in the process. We did our part today, tomorrow we will continue the search. I know more than anyone how he can hide. The necklace may be here, but not him...Maybe he sold it. ”

As he said that, Bellamy noticed Miller's mournful look. He didn't want to put his friend in that position, knowing that he could put the only guy Miller really liked in danger. Even more so after Monty ran away and sent a message to Miller, saying he could no longer contact him for safety reasons.

"I’m sorry." He told his friend. "You know I never wanted to put you in that position."

“I’m not going to lie, deep down I’d like to see him. At least I would know if he is happy with his decision ... ”

The restaurant seemed safe enough, in a remote and sparsely populated district. Its location, literally on the edge of a cliff, seemed perfect for a discreet break. Despite the far and deserted place, the atmosphere was warm and comfortable, although the checkered curtains did not match the decor. The restaurant was not very crowded, with a few tables left, and luckily they did not attract much attention when entering the place, Bellamy doing his best to cover his tattoos with his overcoat.

The five then chose what they were going to eat and Bellamy, being the leader, was in charge of calling the pretty blonde waitress and placing the orders (not that he had insisted on having an excuse to talk to her, or anything). She seemed to stand out between half-empty glasses and kegs of beer, her locks of pink hair swaying as she talked to a two-headed girl.

The big-breasted, blue-eyed woman caught sight of Bellamy's raised hand, and nodded, finishing taking the order from the next table and addressing the Apollo crew. She walked as if the movement was automatic and her head was elsewhere.

“Good evening, my name is Clarke and I will be serving you. Have you already chosen your order? ” she said in a monotone voice, tired of repeating it a thousand times a day for the past two years. She looked rather annoyed, and the way she bit her lower lip and raised her eyebrows pissed Bellamy off for no apparent reason. He noticed that she had a beauty mark above her upper lip that was very attractive.

The waitress made a noise with her throat to get attention and Bellamy was startled, realizing that he’d been staring at her this whole time without giving an answer. 

Raven chuckled and Miller smirked.

"Someone’s not happy serving tables." Bellamy spoke, instead of making requests, and the blonde named Clarke narrowed her dazzling eyes in his direction. He saw Murphy stick his face in his hands and mumble something about just wanting quality food.

"Thank you, detective." She replied sharply, putting her hand on her waist and shaking the small notebook. She looked at him with interest, as if she was deciding the fate of his life based on the next words.

Then she said:

"The order."

Raven opened her mouth to speak, but Bellamy cut her off.

"You know, if you're so unhappy in this place, maybe you should leave instead of treating your customers so rudely." He didn't know why he insisted on talking to the waitress. Maybe it was the need to get his head out of Octavia, or maybe he just liked the colored hair.

Murphy, Raven, Emori and Miller sighed in unison, already used to the Captain's flirtations.

Clarke, on the other hand, looked like she was about to shove her notepad down the tall man’s throat.

"Maybe you should choose better clothes as a disguise, _ pirate _ ." She whispered the last word fiercely, discreetly pointing at the earrings in his ears and the tattoo at the base of his neck that was not completely covered by his coat, making Bellamy arch his eyebrows in surprise and let out a sneer.

She then points to the sign on the door of the establishment, written with evidence PIRATES NOT ALLOWED.

"You also don't seem to belong here, princess." He said, making it look like an insult, when in fact, what he really meant was a compliment. “And pirate is a bit of a pejorative term. I prefer buccaneer.”

She seemed to ponder the answer, pursing her thin lips in an adorable way.

"Okay ... Now the order."

Feeling refreshed, Bellamy watched her with interest, and the two exchanged an evident look. He expected her to make a fuss and expel them from the restaurant, but she didn't seem too concerned about their presence there. Clarke’s blue and gray eyes looked curious in Bellamy's dark browns.

"Three comet showers and two x-cosmos, please." He finally said, which seemed to startle her, almost knocking over the notebook. “With fries on the side.”

"Clarke." A tired, irritated-looking woman appeared beside the girl. "Stop flirting with customers and take the orders." She nodded to the crew and walked through the establishment, not seeming to care about the blonde's eyes rolling.

"Excuse me." Clarke murmured, a little flushed. "I’ll be right back with your food." Then she goes towards the counter that divides the bar with the kitchen, delivering orders to an asian boy with kind eyes.

Bellamy is too busy watching the pretty girl, and only takes his eyes off her when Miller nudges his arm.

"Bellamy!" he said, and looked at his friend seriously. "The cook."

"Yes, what about him?"

"It's him. Monty. ”

Monty smiled at something Clarke said, playing with a knife in his hand while a boy with big glasses on his head made a sulky expression. Hope seemed to rise in Bellamy's chest and he took a deep breath, staring at his crew at the table. They watched the Captain expectantly, waiting for orders.

"We will wait for the end of the shift." He says. "Then we talk to him."

* * *

Clarke was exhausted and apprehensive. She hadn't slept well the previous night, thinking about everything she had agreed with the boys and the details of what they were supposed to do. That day, after her mother closed The Dropship, she, Monty and Jasper would go out through the back, backpacks made, for the interspace station to find a ship that would take her as close to the Apollo Belt as possible. She had already written a letter of instructions to her mother, and arranged for a safe place with a family friend. Wells was happy to help, although he had expressed his concern about Clarke's adventure vehemently.

So, after spending all day restless and anxious, the last thing she needed were extremely arrogant, attractive and pirate customers ending what was left of her patience. The man with curly hair that fell into his eyes, tall and strong, his voice thick and his eyes hard, had caught her attention since she stepped into the restaurant.

The little conversation - she didn't know exactly if it was a conversation or just flirting - had only made the situation worse, making her look at the table where he was curiously. He had postponed the request, claiming he was not so hungry at the moment, asking her to hold the food as long as possible.

The request made her uneasy, and most of all, suspicious. What was a pirate crew doing in disguise in that area? If her mother found out ...

A laugh from the guy's table, which woke her out of her trance - that consisted of staring at the lid of the bar counter- made her look in the direction of the owner, who, to her surprise, came from Captain Grumpy.

His teeth were white and straight, and he threw his head back when he laughed, making his neck a lot visible. Before she realised it, she headed for the table, notebook in hand.

"Postponing the food is not as funny as it sounds." She stated as she leaned her hip against the table, arching an eyebrow. _ I can't believe I'm flirting with a pirate. _

He looked surprised and then embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck and smiling a little sideways. If his skin wasn't that tan, she could have sworn he was blushing.

"Your request? We are about to close. ”

Clarke noticed an exchange of looks between the Captain and the man in the cap sitting next to her.

"Right. You can bring it now, thanks. ” He replied with a nod, looking apprehensive. Clarke didn't move. Suddenly she had a very dangerous idea, but it could work. "Can I help you, princess?"

"In fact, you can." She said with a racing heart. That was a bad idea. "Do you need new members on your crew?"

The man looked around her, afraid someone would have heard. Raven, Murphy, Emori and Miller shifted in their chairs, getting ready to run. The Captain made a gesture with his hands to calm them down.

“Do I look like a taxi-ship by any chance?” He finally replied, so quietly that Clarke had to come closer to hear him better. “We are not a fucking cruiser.”

She knew she should be afraid, but all she felt when she saw his menacing and pretentious look was irritation.

"I can pay you." She said, lifting her chin. The rest of the crew looked at her as if she was crazy.

“What makes you so desperate that you need a pirate’s ride? Are you hiding something?”

"Aren't we all?"

The two watched each other, pondering. Clarke looked defiantly at the Captain's brown eyes and noticed a faint sparkle of amusement behind the hard expression.

"Captain, you’re not really considering this, are you?" Raven said, looking disapprovingly at the scene.

Bellamy was about to answer something when he was interrupted by a flustered Jasper.

“Clarke! We have a problem." He exclaimed, looking breathless. "Actually, two problems."

Clarke frowned. She noticed some movement. From the restaurant door, Abby looked like she was about to pass out, closing and locking it behind her with shaking hands.

"What-" In her peripheral vision, she saw her mother walking towards her, and the pirate crew stood up, all apprehensive. Bellamy ran to the nearest window and opened a crack.

"Monty disappeared." Jasper spoke, desperate. "I looked everywhere, but I didn't see a trace of him."

"How- how come Monty is gone?" Clarke said, and her mother squeezes her arm, whispering, _ Clarke, let's go now. _

One of the pirates, the black man in the cap, jumped up and ran towards the kitchen.

Clarke pulled away from Abby.

"Clarke, please ..." begged her mother, but the blonde was already at the window beside the Captain, seeing what was causing such a stir. Two Council ships landed at the end of the deck, their engines almost silent due to high technology. Clarke eyed Bellamy, who looked as white as a ghost, and felt angry. She knew that the main reason for the Council's coming to the restaurant was her, but for a little second she wanted to believe otherwise.

Boiling in frustration, she pushed hard on his chest.

"Hey, what ..." Bellamy exclaims, surprised, establishing balance. Clarke felt a twinge of pride. For someone so short, she was a strong woman.

"You brought them here!" she exclaimed, pushing him again. However, Bellamy was already prepared, and absorbed the impact of Clarke's hands with his chest, assuming a posture that would be threatening and defensive, were it not for the frown of concern between his eyes. "You and this PIRATE crew!"

"Pirates ?!" Jasper and Abby exclaimed at the same time, the first with enthusiasm and the second with horror. But Clarke continued, as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"Your air of superiority and arrogance,oh... I should have seen the trouble!"

"Hey, me and my crew have nothing to do with this!" Bellamy said, offended, pointing a finger at Clarke. The two came closer and closer, the tension palpable, and Clarke swore she could count the freckles on his face. "At least I think ..." He added, looking sideways at Murphy, who shrugged.

"Get out of my restaurant now!" Clarke exclaimed, trying to push him out the door, but she didn’t have enough strength. Bellamy held her wrists to defend himself. Their faces were so close that she could almost taste him - he had coffee breath. "Get out before the place explodes!"

“Hey, stop it, princess! I have nothing to do with it- ”

"DON'T CALL ME FUCKING PRINCESS!”

At this point, the few remaining customers were running desperately out the door, anticipating confusion with the presence of pirates and the Council. Abby looked at Clarke, terror in her eyes, and took her daughter's arm, away from Bellamy, who seemed ready to strangle her.

“Honey, please, just listen to me this time! Let's get out of here now! ”

The girl stared at her mother, afraid. Abby had no idea what was coming. She thought the Council was after the pirates, not the map that was under her bedroom floor, hiding the dangerous path that her life was about to take. She held her mother's hands tightly and looked into her eyes, so different from hers, brown in blue. She tried to express how much she felt, and at the same time asked for understanding. It was Clarke's fault, as always.

"Sorry, mom." she said, with a lump in her throat. From her peripheral vision she noticed the Pirate Captain draw his laser gun, aiming it at the door. "I needed to do this."

“Clarke, what are you talking about ?! What did you do?" Abby questioned her, desperate tears threatening to spill over her face. The braid made earlier in the day was in tatters, the strands escaping everywhere, and for a second she looked so, so young. Young and scared.

The door suddenly opened, the noise making Clarke jump. She held Abby's hand even tighter. Her mother was paralyzed beside her, as if she didn't believe what was happening.

Kane came in the door, his white uniform reflecting the yellowish lights of the room, standing out in the worst possible way. Two guards followed him, pointing out their blasters.

Clarke realized that almost the entire pirate crew was gone, with only the Captain and the girl with the mechanical arm left. She also noticed, with great despair, that Jasper was gone. She felt her heart escaping her mouth, but she stood her ground, her body in front of her mother's in an imperfect attempt to protect her.

Kane looked at Clarke, almost amused, with a certain gleam in his eye. He behaved like someone about to get a big promotion at work, proud of himself. Such was his euphoria when looking at Clarke and Abby, that it took him a few seconds to notice the pirates who were pointing guns at him and his guards.

"Well, well..." Said the chief of the guard, surprised. “Apparently we have company… Pirates, Clarke? I knew that this restaurant had a doubtful clientele, but I didn't expect that. ”

The pirates aimed their respective weapons at them - the Captain, a worn-out but functional blaster and the girl, her own mechanical arm, which contained a laser sight embedded in it.

“Just spill it already. We are past closing time. '' Clarke said. She tried to work out an escape plan, but her mind was only thinking about one thing: protecting her mother. She remembered the pistol hidden under the bar, but the action was too risky. To get there, she would have to walk at least ten feet without drawing attention, and the guards watched her every move.

Kane laughed sarcastically.

“Fearless like your father… But there is a flaw. You’re very rude. ” As he spoke, he walked slowly towards the two women, who stepped back until they bumped into a table. Ironically, the table that the pirates were sitting at. Again, Kane had cornered her, and this time there were not enough witnesses to stop him from getting what he wanted.

"Now." Said the Council member, looking sideways at the pirates, who maintained their positions without moving a muscle. “Imagine my happiness when I come to collect a prize, and end up with two! Captain Bellamy Blake, you don't know what pleasure it will be to finally capture you and your shit crew. ”

Clarke was surprised to hear the name. So that was the famous Bellamy Blake? The guy who had killed her best friend's father and one of the Council's most wanted pirates, eating at her restaurant. What an unfortunate coincidence.

"There will be no pleasure for you tonight, Kane." Replied the Captain, his deep, powerful voice reverberating through the tense and silent environment. He could be arrogant and rude, but his voice was compatible with a great commander’s. "You haven't been able to capture me so many times ... This won't be the first."

Kane closed his eyes, annoyed. With almost deliberate calm, he pulled out his blaster and aimed it right through Clarke's eyes. Her blood froze.

"No!" Abby screamed, desperate, stepping in front of her daughter. “Do what you have to do, but leave my daughter alone. Haven't you done enough for our family ?! ”

“Jake did this to his family, Abby, not me. Your husband had too many crazy ideas, and he didn't think about the consequences. One more thing that Clarke got from him.”

"Let her go." Clarke says, her voice cold. "I’ll do whatever you want, just let her go."

"Here’s what we’ll do, Griffin." He pulled Abby hard by the arm, pinning her by the neck and aiming the gun at her head. Clarke shouted, desperate. "You get what I want,  _ and  _ I don't kill your mother."

She felt all the courage drain from her body. She thought of Monty and Jasper, who were missing, and the other pirates. Would any of them come to her rescue? Perhaps Blake's crew would come to save their Captain. She then thought of the gun that her father kept hidden in her room. Maybe she could trick Kane enough to catch her and shoot him.

“What are you waiting for, Griffin ?! GET THE FUCKING MAP NOW! ” The captain of the guard finally lost his patience. His free hand tightened on Abby's neck, who cried out in pain.

"OK!" Clarke exclaimed. "I'll get it, please, just don't hurt her." She pointed to the stairs about six meters to her right. "It's over there."

Kane released Abby, pushing her towards her daughter, who staggered her into her arms. She pointed the blaster at them both.

"Hurry up, I don't have all night."

Clarke took one last look at Blake and his mate, who kept their eyes on the guards nonstop. Part of her was relieved by the pirate's presence at that moment. Holding Abby's hand tightly, the two went up the stairs, Kane in their track and the gun aimed at their heads.

* * *

Monty didn't expect to see his ex-boyfriend anytime soon.

He worked at The Dropship precisely because it is an inaccessible and little known place. It was perfect for leading a quiet life, without dramas and worries. Without the Council trying to kill you. Eighteen months working with Clarke and Abby, and he was never recognized! But no, Nathan Miller had to appear with all his glory and cap on his head, ready to end his disguise and the rest of his remaining dignity.

As a matter of fact, Monty was not afraid to be discovered - after all, Miller was a pirate, he was the last person to have contact with anyone on the Council. Furthermore, he was quite sure that he would never do that. He was ashamed.

Monty usually stayed in the kitchen, and didn't pay much attention to the restaurant's customers. He had already burned enough food for being distracted and didn't want to get scolded by Abby and get fired. So it was really inopportune when he heard a loud laugh, which caught his eye- a strong, robust voice -and looked up. He saw Clarke flirting with the owner of the laugh (something that was no longer typical to be seen) and, next to the loud brown man with a roaring laugh, nobody else, none other than his ex. His first reaction was to bend down so as not to be seen.

What the hell was he doing there? Of all the places in the galaxy, did his crew just have to choose this restaurant for a snack? Had Miller seen Monty? What if he already saw him and didn't want to talk to him?

The asian boy's mind spun. If Miller was there, it must have been a coincidence. The way things ended between the two of them, it was more than understandable that he didn't want to look for him (and he shouldn't, for his own safety).

Seeing that all the orders were ready and the work was close to ending, Monty did the thing that seemed most sensible to him: He ran away.

He took advantage of the fact that Jasper had gone to the bathroom and slipped over the kitchen counter, bent down so that no one could see him. Carefully, he opened the door and cautiously headed for the stairs, which was less than two meters away. Luckily, no one was paying much attention to him - Clarke and the man seemed to be having an argument, and the eyes of the few remaining customers were on them.

He hid in the “attic” of the restaurant. As the Dropship was an old ship, there were rooms in unconventional places, and this was just above the restaurant's back door - a cramped space that looked like a dormitory, with a kind of hatch that you could see from the outside. Monty was always there when he felt suffocated. The landscape was, in a strange way, comforting. The precipice that came a few meters after the old ship, oddly enough, has always remained intact. The abysmal darkness combined with the stars and nebulae in the sky was such a beautiful and lonely sight.

Monty sighed, looking uneasily at the hatch. The adventure that he would follow with his friends after Jake Griffin seemed too dangerous, and Miller showing up the day before his escape did not bring him any sign of good luck. What if Monty put him in danger again?

"Why is it always so hard to find you?" A voice spoke, taking him out of his daydreams. Nathan fucking Miller.

He looked different - older. He was stronger and grew a beard. His brown eyes, however, remained as loyal and dignified as ever.

"Uh ... Hi." Monty said, embarrassed. Nathan had become even more attractive over the years, which he thought was impossible. "Why are you here?"

Miller walked slowly, as if he were testing the terrain. Seeing that Monty had no objection, he sat across from him, facing the chasm.

"Cook, huh?" Said the pirate. "A little different from your original profession."

Monty laughed, embarrassed. There really was a huge difference between hacking computers and flipping burgers.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Remember the chain I gave you?" Miller asked, already knowing the answer. Of course Monty remembered. The cold metal chain pressed on his neck whenever he moved.

Monty looked at him, frowning. But years had passed that had given him that chain.

"Why just now?" Monty felt a twinge of disappointment.

Miller lowered his head, looking ashamed. The right hand held the necklace that was still around his neck.

“You were very clear about us… I just wanted to know that you were alive. The tracker on your necklace counts your vital signs too. Seeing that you were safe and that your heart kept beating was enough. ”

Monty's heart broke. It was his fault, of course. He shouldn't have ended up so harshly with Miller. But he figured that if he hurt him enough to keep his distance, he would be safe.

And then everything changed.

A feminine scream cut the conversation short, making them both freeze. Abby's voice, sounding desperate in the distance, awakened Monty from the painful memories as he stood up suddenly.

"What is happening?!"

"I don't know, I just saw a commotion down there and the boy with the glasses said you were missing ..."

"The map." Monty whispered, and ran out the door, Miller right behind. He ran towards Clarke's room, but bumped into someone in the middle of the hall.

A dark-haired man with a big nose looked at him ugly, making him stagger backwards, hesitant. Right behind the man, a beautiful woman with latina features and ponytail stared at him and raised a gun, aiming at his head.

"Hey Hey! He's with me!" Miller shouted, stepping in front of Monty. The woman soon lowered the gun.

"So this is your computer guy?" Murphy scoffed, as if the sight of Monty huddled behind Miller amused him. "Cute."

"We don't have time for jokes, Murphy." Said Raven, looking under her shoulder towards the stairs. “The Council is here. I don't know if Kane was after the Captain, but shit’s about to go down.”

The woman's tone of urgency makes Monty realize the size of the trouble. If the Council knew the map was in the restaurant, Clarke was in danger. Jasper could have hidden it, since he was in the bathroom, which gave them an advantage.

"I know a way out."

* * *

A dozen steps to climb and a few meters. This was the shortcut that Clarke and Abby had to take with a gun aimed to their heads.

Her mother's hand gripped hers so tightly that the blonde was out of circulation. The metal of the stairs, piggy-welded to the wall of the old ship, seemed colder than she remembered holding them. Kane breathed calmly behind her, but the atmosphere was one of impatience - the anticipation of getting his hands on the map was palpable.

In the short space of time he walked down the hall to her room, Clarke prayed to the heavens, hoping the plan would work. Maybe Captain Blake could get rid of the guards easily, but she didn't want her life to depend on a maybe. She had to do something to save her mother and prevent the map from falling into the hands of the Council. If the legend were really true, and the planet had a treasure, she wouldn't even want to imagine what Mt. Weather would do with it.

She looked back briefly, watching Kane. His expression was grim, as if he couldn't wait to get his hands on the map, eyes fixed on Clarke with anticipation.

"What are you looking at?!" He screamed, pushing them both into the room. "Come on!"

The room was not very big, with only a single bed against the right wall, a closet on the opposite side and a large glass window that covered almost the entire length of the wall opposite to the door. The size was ideal for an old installation of a spaceship - it would fit more than three people standing in the room, without much pressure.

Clarke hesitated. Kane was facing her and her mother, still pointing the gun. Abby holding her daughter's hands tightly, looked like she was about to collapse, her small, thin body trembling and eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

"Get the map right away, Griffin, before I lose patience and blow your mom's head."

The threat worked successfully. Without thinking too much, Clarke opened the closet door, ready to take the gun. Instead, she took a hand.

It all happened very fast.

From inside the wardrobe, a tall black man stepped out, jumping on top of Kane, the two of them struggling on the floor. Clarke's hand, she realized soon after, held Monty's.

"The map, quick!" Said her friend, who soon came out of the closet, holding Jake's gun in his hands and aiming at the embarrassed limbs that was Kane and Miller on the floor.

Clarke crouched on the floor by the window, and opened a piece of the floor with a little force, the old metal plate disengaging and revealing the small golden object. She held the orb in her hand so tightly that her fingers ached.

The fighting noises were still going on, she realized, and Monty was still holding the gun, afraid to shoot and hit the wrong person. The man with the cap on his head - one of the pirates - managed to stay on top, immobilizing Kane, punching him hard in the face. The blaster Kane used slipped through his hands, such strength and number of blows that Miller delivered.

Clarke held the gun, pointing it at the captain of the guard, who lay on the bloody floor. His uniform, once white and immaculate, was stained red, like a violent abstract painting.

"I should kill you, you know." she says finally, ignoring the terrified look her mother gave her.

Kane smiled, his teeth once white and straight, broken and bloody.

"Do it." he said, breathing hard. "You will see that you are more like your father than you imagined."

In the background, she heard shots being fired and shouting. The capped pirate ran out the door, towards the noise. Monty looked at her with concerned eyes.

"Clarke, we have to go ...."

Her hands were shaking, the gun looked extremely heavy. The aim was right - right in the head - and it felt so, so easy to just pull the trigger.

"CLARKE, LET'S GO!" Another voice called to her. She recognized Jasper, who is standing at the door and was carrying three backpacks in his hands - the ones they had packed the day before to embark on the greatest adventure of their lives.

Kane continued to stare, this time without smiling. He seemed almost frightened by the situation-some young men and a crew of pirates had spoiled his plan. If he didn't die there, the Council would try to do so. She thought about pulling the trigger. The Council's anger and everything that had happened to her father burned in her chest, vision blinded by spite. She really wanted to shoot, but would her shoulders endure the weight of taking a life?

"Princess." A deep voice makes her look away from Kane. Captain Blake, with a bleeding eyebrow and wheezing, was watching her urgently. A brief sense of relief washed over her. If he was there, the guards should have been overpowered. "Your carriage is waiting," he says sarcastically.

And then she ran.

Following in the footsteps of Monty, Jasper, Blake and the rest of their crew, with their mother in pursuit, she dashed down the hall to a staircase - Monty's hideout.

In the background, they heard screams - Kane's voice probably called out to the guards who had stayed on the Council ships. A different noise erupted through the place, a shrill noise of propellants heating up.

"There's something wrong!" Blake shouted, stopping at the attic door. Everyone else continued the race, and only she and the Captain stood in the hall, watching. “It’s not the Council engine’s common noise. It looks more like… ”

**_BOOM!_ **

The ground shook beneath Clarke’s feet, the former ship and now restaurant shaking under her toes, making her lose balance. Without thinking, she leaned on the thing closest to her, realizing, too late, that it was Captain Blake's arms, who, curiously, held her waist as if trying to keep her from falling.

"They are bombing the place!" Miller shouted, opening the attic hatch. The woman with the mechanical arm, with the help of her friend, climbed up the skylight and jumped down the cliff. "Let 's go!"

The noise started again, indicating the arrival of another bombing.

Clarke realized that she was still holding on to Bellamy and pulled away, blushing. The Captain's arms were firmer than she imagined.

Bellamy blinked.

"We’ll have time for that later, princess." He joked, smiling, watching with interest Clarke's hand closed around the orb.

Almost everyone had already jumped out the window, leaving only the two of them. Clarke looked through the hatch. Just below, on the edge of the cliff, an old-fashioned ship, probably from the 2400s, was “parked”. In its bow, the figure of a man was carved in the wood, with the sun shining above his head and a bow and arrow in his hands. On the hull of the ship it said  _ Apollo XX _ .

Captain Blake extended his hand in an almost cordial gesture - were it not for the impatient expression on his face.

"Take your time, don't worry." He exclaimed wryly. "We have all day!"

She took his hand - large and calloused - and used it as a support to climb the skylight. The ship was waiting for her about two meters below, a kind of board supported on the outside wall of the restaurant, simulating a doubtful slide.

Clarke slid to the ship, the cold night wind cutting her skin like a razor, Captain Blake close behind.

Most people were on the deck, waiting anxiously. Abby looked relieved to see her daughter, but her brief comfort was interrupted by yet another loud explosion.

“Trigger hypermetric shields!” The Captain screamed, running towards what looked like the cockpit. "With all your might, prepare to take off!"

**_BOOM!_ **

The ship gave a jolt, rising towards the stars, just in time to escape the splinters of the explosion. Pieces of the ship flew towards the Apollo, but the shields repelled them easily.

Clarke watched the scene, astonished, feeling her heart in her throat. Flames now engulfed the restaurant, devouring what it saw on its way. Because it was destroyed at its base, the ancient ship slid towards the endless cliff.

Beside her, her mother wept silently as they left for the unknown space, leaving behind the remains of the place they called home.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. JANOS’S DISORDER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy makes a decision and Clarke meets an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo here's chapter two!!! Thank you for commenting, and for the kudos, I'm so so sos happy that you guys are enjoying <3 <3 <3 
> 
> Sorry if there's any english mistakes, I didn't have time to beta it 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!!!

**ORBITALS**

**CHAPTER II: JANOS’S DISORDER**

_Where does sadness stop and anger begin? Where does anger end and sadness start? You might as well try to parse the wind and rain from the whirl of a hurricane; it's all made of the same destruction_

**-"Storm” P.S.**

_**** Janos in Greco-Roman mythology is the god of portals, and represents human and divine duality. Duality is the main characteristic of this god, and as an example we can mention: entrances and exits, beginnings and ends, lies and truths._

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

**APOLLO XX SPACE SHIP**

**Somewhere in the Artemis Belt, year 2875**

Bellamy was confused.

The wind blew the Apollo sails steadily, ignoring the allegorical storm that seemed to follow its Captain. Raven, who skillfully flyed the ship, looked at Bellamy with a mixture of irritation and concern. The years they spent living together were more than enough for his commander to realize the disorder in his head, and he silently thanked the woman for his companionship. Without Raven to get him back on track, he would probably ruin any chance of survival with his short temper and low judgment.

He just sighed and shook his head, signaling to her that the matter would be discussed later. His crew, despite not fearing sudden adventures, was certainly not happy with the idea of the Council having yet another reason to pursue them.

As if the alleged murder of Thelonious Jaha was not enough.

Running away was part of his profession. But bringing an irritating woman on board, her mother and two friends, who obviously had a reward in their heads, to suddenly almost be blown up into the air, was not his plan. No matter how attractive and interesting Clarke looked, the Apollo was not a tourist ship. He imagined, with disgust, the advertisements scattered around space stations: "APOLLO XX: EXPLORE THE GALAXY ON BOARD THE MOST FAMOUS PIRATE SHIP IN ARKSTATION!"

All of that because he wanted to find the only family he had left. Just imagining the fact that Octavia was in danger, somewhere in the galaxy, unable to defend herself, Bellamy shuddered. The weight of guilt sank into his chest with each passing day, and it was hard not to let his excessive concern show to the crew. Raven had said that O. could manage alone without him, but the protective instinct burned his core to the point of taking aways his sleep.

_My sister, my responsibility._

He still had fresh memories of her the day she was caught, almost two years ago. The two had fought that day, and they both took their anger out on the wrong thing. They went out to a bar in a suspicious corner of the Belt, eager for any momentary relief that alcohol might bring. Bellamy saw Octavia kissing a boy, got angry and went after him.

She intervened, the two screamed and argued, and she said she would go away, and couldn't take that kind of behavior on his part anymore. The Captain did not believe it, of course. He would never have imagined that she would have the courage to leave him, until it was too late-she had run off with the boy. Three days later, Bellamy learned that she had been arrested - god only knows why - at SkyBox, ArkStation's maximum security prison. But before he could elaborate a plan to get her out, there was a mass flight of prisoners due to a breach in the security system. The last information he had from her sister was that she was on board a Trikru ship, and everyone knew that the grounders were not very friendly with the people of ArkStation.

As Raven sailed through hyperspace, fleeing as quickly as possible from the explosion that nearly destroyed them, he automatically shouted orders to others. How would that mess interfere with his search for Octavia? He had the computer boy, Monty, on his ship, but at what cost? What did that blonde - Clarke, he remembered - hide and why did she seem so willing to shoot the Council's chief of guard? And who in their right mind asked a pirate for a ride ?!

He stared at her figure on the deck, leaning on the side rail, her facial expression unreadable. She played with a spherical object in her hand, thoughtful, ignoring the uproar caused by her presence. Beside her, her mother wept silently, mourning the loss of their home. The boys, Monty and the other wearing glasses, whispered a few feet away from them, looking like they were in the middle of an argument. Three backpacks lay at their feet.

So she hadn't planned on taking her mother…

"Captain." Murphy takes him out of his daydreams, looking at the outsiders with a mixture of curiosity and irritation. "What are we going to do with them?"

Bellamy frowned. He didn't have an answer. If he left the girl at the next station, Monty would surely follow her, and every effort to find him would be in vain. At the same time, her stay on the ship posed a hidden danger, and he was pretty sure it had to do with that little golden ball that never left her hands.

"I don’t know yet." Finally he answered. “Ask Emori to prepare a place for them to sleep… It’ll take us a while to mislead the Council. I need to think, don't let anyone enter my room.”

Murphy did not seem happy with the answer, but he obeyed his Captain, looking for Emori.

Bellamy stared at Clarke, his thoughts going dark. Who was that girl and what was her mission? What was that mysterious object that swirled in her small, delicate hands? The blond hair with pink tips swayed with a false wind that came from the Apollo ventilations. For a moment, he thought he saw a tear trickle down her face, but in the next second her expression was intact, determined. Clarke looked back across the ship, and the sparkling blue eyes seemed to be part of the dark sky around her, cold and powerful.

Despite the freezing view, Bellamy has never felt so warm.

* * *

Her house had exploded.

The restaurant she called home had turned to ash spilled into an abyss, on the edge of a forgotten and irrelevant district. Her mother cried silently beside her, on the floor of a space pirate ship that belonged to the most wanted Captain in the galaxy. Her father was missing, and the most coveted map in the universe had fallen into her hands, leaving her and everyone around her in danger.

Clarke contemplated the space around, as the ship crossed the endless sky, the thousands of stars and nebulae flickering in the infinite darkness. In other circumstances, she would be happy to be able to travel the cosmos and explore its continuous wonders. But the memory of the gun still lay in her hands, the weight replaced by the orb reminding her that a few hours ago she was about to kill a man.

If she could call Kane a man.

Monty and Jasper tried to comfort her, their worried eyes always watching and measuring her every move, as if Clarke was about to collapse any second. She imagined that she should feel this way, desperate, without a sense of grounding, with regret for the destruction of her home and guilty for having involved Abby in that endless mess.

But all she could feel was anger. Anger at the Council, anger at her father for leaving her, anger at herself. And, most of all, anger at the Captain of the damn ship, who had stuck his nose where it didn't belong. Blake was the most wanted man in the galaxy for the murder of the ex-Council Chief, Thelonious Jaha, who, by unfortunate coincidence, was the father of a close friend of Clarke's.

What would Wells say when he learned that she had accepted the help of his father's killer?

A tear escaped her eyes, without warning, and she quickly wiped it away. She didn't have time for regrets, she needed to make a plan.

Jasper and Monty argued beside her, in whispers. It seemed serious, but she couldn't pay much attention to what they said. Her attention was focused on the orb in her hand, which seemed heavier with each passing second.

What would she do now? Certainly the Council was on their trail, Kane should have sent most of the guard after the precious object. The orb had no coordinates, just holograms of the galaxy with no direction. She needed to find a way to actually open the map.

Something in the corner of her eye caught the blonde's attention. The Captain watched her at the stern of the ship. He looked confused and angry, as if he didn't know what to do with it, as if Clarke was the most difficult puzzle to crack.

She looked back at him, determined. She would show no fragility, no weakness in the face of the feared Captain Blake. Soon he would know that she was not a helpless princess.

Although she tried to be nonchalant, something in his dark brown eyes called her in an intriguing way. She feared that the Captain was as dangerous as the Council preached, but for completely different reasons.

* * *

After the initial turmoil, the ship continued its course. Everyone seemed uncomfortably quiet, and the crew members did not seem to welcome outsiders with a good eye. 

The Captain had retired to his quarters and spent the next few hours hidden. The only person who had actually spoken to them was the guy with the beanie, Miller, who Clarke later learned to be Monty's ex-boyfriend (there it was a story she needed to understand better). He seemed shy, but at the same time solicitous, and he couldn't stay long without looking at Monty, which she thought was sweet.

"Do not worry." He said. "The Captain seems a little rough, but he’s a good person."

"I wouldn't say rough is the right word." Clarke replied, ironic.

Miller laughed.

"Emori is going to take you guys somewhere to sleep."

"Thanks." Monty spoke up. The two looked at each other for two seconds, and looked away. Jasper tried to hide his laughter.

The woman with the tattoo on her face and bionic arm approached, suspicious. Abby held Clarke's hand tightly, apprehensively. Her mother was terrified since she boarded the ship, and the blonde knew that as soon as they had a more private place, she would get a nice scolding.

"Don't worry, I don't bite." The woman - Emori - said, looking at the older lady with amusement. Clarke held back a laugh. She liked her. "It's Murphy you should be worried about."

Despite the terrifying situation, and the feeling of loss after the explosion, deep down Clarke was ecstatic - literally. She was on a pirate ship, exploring the galaxy! In a twisted and bizarre way, she was making a dream come true.

They followed the pirate, watching the vehicle carefully. The Apollo was, although old, very well looked after. Its wooden floor was clean, the deck was tidy, and the white sails looked worn but were intact. The rest of the crew worked on the ship, adjusting ropes, repairing mechanical parts and cleaning surfaces. Clarke did not imagine what else they could clean, since the whole place seemed to shine.

“The Captain likes the Apollo organized. Don't make a mess. ”

They followed Emori down the stairs, towards the rooms. Several nets, supplies and mechanical materials were scattered at the bottom of the ship, which, although not very large, was spacious enough to accommodate them.

“We’ll start making dinner shortly. Don't think it's an all-paid cruise. You’ll have to work too. Don't be late… The Captain is very punctual.” With that, she turned her back on the four newbies and went upstairs. They were finally alone.

Jasper jumped into one of the hammocks and put his arms behind his head, as if he was at home.

"This place is awesome!"

"I know, right?!" Clarke exclaimed, excited. “Did you see her arm? I never-"

"You owe me an explanation." Abby cut it off, stern.

"Well, it all started when I was five and ..."

“Not you, Jordan. I'm talking to my daughter. Pirates, Clarke ?! What were you thinking? And the restaurant, what… ”

Clarke sighed, listening to her mother yell at the background, but her mind was elsewhere. She didn't want to get Abby involved in that story. Her mother was the least adventurous person she knew, and despite being tough, she had been through situations too difficult to expose herself that way. 

She looked at Jasper, who watched the older woman scream, in awe at her expression, despite his comfortable position in the hammock. A plan started to form.

“... it exploded! Our house no longer exists! As if your missing father wasn't enough, you got us into this mess ... Wherever you are, it looks like you're looking for trouble. Clarke, are you listening to me ?! ” 

“Yes, I… You’re right. I'm sorry." It was all Clarke could say. Abby was startled by the answer, after all, her daughter was very proud and never admitted when she was wrong.

Then Clarke started to speak. She explained everything: The map, Kane's threat, the need to find her father, the cat woman on the ship. Abby listened to everything, motionless, tears hovering at the edge of her greenish brown eyes. When the story came to an end, an uncomfortable silence ensued. Mother and daughter looked at each other, emotional, not knowing what to say.

"Pirates were not part of the plan." Clarke said, finally. “Mom, I'm sorry, but I need to do this. This treasure cannot fall into the hands of the Council, imagine what they would do with that power! Dad had something to do with this map, I can feel it. Something tells me that he wanted to hide it, but ended up getting lost on the journey. I _need_ to find him. ”

“Are you aware of the danger you're in? If this is really the map from the story, everyone will be looking for it. What do you intend to do ?! ”

“First I leave you in a safe place. Then… Well, I think luck will guide me.”

She knew that her mother didn’t want to participate in that madness. As much as she missed her husband, Abby knew in her heart that he would never return and had accepted the fact. Accompanying Clarke on that mission would only make her lose herself in an illusion, and she couldn't bear to lose Jake twice.

Clarke hid her face in her hands, showing tiredness. Abby hugged her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.

She needed to find a way to contact Wells without being tracked by the Council.

"I know I didn't want things to happen that way." She said to her daughter. “But I'm not going to be silent seeing my only daughter risk her life like that. You are the only thing I have left, Clarke.”

She looked at her mother emotionally.

“I know, mom. But this is all bigger than me… I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I won't give up so easily. ”

Abby frowned, serious. The two would never come to an agreement, and the results of that conflict always tended to disaster. Disappointed, she got up and left the room without speaking a word.

Clarke sighed. She needed to send her mother to safety.

“Uh ... Clarke. I have information that can be useful. ” Monty spoke, and she looked up, looking at him with interest. "I know why Blake was at the restaurant."

She studied her friend, curious. Actually, it seemed a very big coincidence that Monty's ex-boyfriend - who was a pirate - appeared on the Dropship. Captain Blake would not simply help them if he didn’t want something in return. Or someone.

Monty spoke again.

“He's looking for his younger sister, Octavia. She escaped from prison a few months ago and since then he's been sweeping the Belt after her like crazy. Miller said she is the only family he has, they’re very close. ”

"Is there another Blake ?!" Jasper exclaimed. "I would like to see this ..."

"What are you saying, Jasper?"

"Ah, come on Clarke ... Don’t tell me you, of all people, didn’t notice that the Captain is a nice piece of ass."

Clarke resisted the urge to blush. Of course she had noticed, she wasn’tt blind. Blake was indeed very attractive, but that didn’t erase the _dangerous pirate_ factor. She contented herself with rolling her eyes and ignoring her friend's suggestive smile.

“But what does the search for his sister have to do with the restaurant?”

Monty said, looked embarrassed. Something kept him from looking her in the eye, and Clarke realized that Jasper had suddenly become very quiet. 

“They were after me. I'm very good with computers, I can track anyone anywhere that has a network in the universe. Blake wants me to find his sister. ”

Suddenly, Monty's sudden and stealthy appearance in the restaurant almost two years ago made sense. He was running from something, and it was probably related to his cyber skills. There was certainly more to the story, but she thought it best not to pressure him. The poor boy was about to pass out.

The plan, which had previously begun to take shape in Clarke's mind, took on more vigor, the details fitting together almost perfectly. If she could convince Blake ... she rolled the orb in her hand, suddenly feeling very cold. Was that the price to pay for the pirates’s protection? Was it worth involving him in her mission?

“How does Blake know about your skills? Miller told him? ” She asked suspiciously. If Miller had put her friend in danger, he was not as good a person as she imagined.

"Clarke, Blake's sister was at the Skybox." Jasper finally spoke up, looking a little irritated and impressed at the same time. "Who do you think released her?"

Everyone stared at Monty, who shrank even more. But of course! Monty had fled the Council because he was responsible for the mass prison escape. That's why he seemed so apprehensive about the guards the night that Clarke got the map. But why would he do that?

“I'm sorry for lying, I… I was reckless. I just wanted a place to start over and you welcomed me with open arms. In return, I lied to you. ”

Jasper snorted and crossed his arms, upset by the lie. Clarke smiled warmly.

“Monty… No need to apologize. I'm sure you're not a bad person, and as for the lie ... You were trying to survive. Don't be ashamed of that. ”

The boy sighed with relief. Jasper was still, staring at the ceiling indignantly. He was certainly upset that his best friend had lied to him.

“Jas, don't be childish. Monty had no intention of hurting us. ” Clarke took Monty's hand, and looked him in the eye. "But considering your computer skills ... I need a little big favor."

* * *

**APOLLO XX SPACESHIP**

**CAPTAIN BLAKE’S QUARTERS**

Hot water ran down Bellamy's body in a failed attempt at relaxation. For the first time in years, the Captain of the Apollo space ship had no idea what he was going to do. 

He needed to find his sister, and for that, he needed Monty Green. But what could guarantee the boy's help? A simple ride seemed too trivial compared to the danger that Miller's ex-boyfriend would be in trying to track Octavia.

A dark thought crossed his mind. There was always another way ... Violence had never been Bellamy's favorite weapon in negotiations, but perhaps it was necessary to take other ways to reach his sister. However, just as quickly as the idea crossed his mind, it vanished. His time to get things done aggressively was over. The blood he’d spilled stupidly painted his hands red, and his fist no longer carried the strength they used to, only scars and grim calluses, which told a story of regret and bitterness.

He had sworn to himself that he would no longer follow that path. The road covered by bodies led nowhere but the pitch.

But with the Council on his tail, he needed to do something, and fast. Marcus Idiot Kane knew of his involvement with whatever confusion Clarke was in. After Bellamy's escape following his mother's death, Kane splurged across ArkStation, spreading a villainous image of him, and has been chasing the Apollo ever since. The main reason was unknown, although Bellamy had some ideas in mind …

He got out of the shower, put on his pants and boots. He was so engrossed in thoughts that he didn't notice, after leaving the bathroom, that he had company.

Clarke was leaning against the door, arms crossed and a line of apprehension between her eyebrows. She looked almost relaxed, as if she were comfortable in the room, not in the bedroom of a suspected killer.

"I have a proposal."

"You're not even buying me dinner first?"

She rolled her eyes at the answer, pushed away from the door and scanned the room with interest. It was not what she imagined, he could see the surprise contained in her expression. Bellamy's room was clean and tidy, with a bed against the left wall, next to a small bathroom. In the center, a study table full of maps, compasses and scales, and on the right wall a worn shelf full of books. 

Nothing in the room screamed “Run! Dangerous and bloodthirsty pirate!!”. The floor was covered with map drawings, despite being almost erased. Whoever entered there would think they were in a teacher's office.

Bellamy cleared his throat. He didn’t like other people invading his privacy. It was the only place he could be himself without worries.

"I liked the decor ... Very academic." Said Clarke.

Her eyes moved quickly over Bellamy's bare chest, reaching his shoulders and neck, noticing the thick lines drawn in pairs that covered his brown skin in expressive harmony. Clarke looked fascinated. His tattoos were different from the patterns made by pirates - instead of pairs of constellations, they were two rectangular black columns, interspersed in each limb, from the forearm to the side of the neck. A small onyx earring dangled from his left ear.

He smiled as he noticed the faint blush covering the blonde's cheeks. Despite being irritated by the invasion of privacy, he found Clarke's bewildered reaction amusing. 

Where did that woman come from ?!

"Sorry to disappoint, I know you expected something with weapons and instruments of torture." He walks slowly over to the table, picking up the dagger that was lying there. He holds the sharp weapon, showing his aversion to the abrupt apparition.

Clarke seems to tense slightly when she sees the knife, but her eyes show no fear. Her mouth broke into a faint smile.

“I'm actually surprised. I didn't think you knew how to read. ”

He held back a laugh. It took a few seconds to observe her image. Messy blond short hair, pink tips tossed in all directions. The outfit was still the same she was wearing in the restaurant: pants, boots and a slightly low-cut white blouse with a patterned denim jacket - he tried not to be obvious, but he couldn't help but notice the big breasts and delicate star necklace that lay among them.

"I was able to read the menu with some ease, so I’d say that I’m not completely illiterate."

Bellamy regretted it as soon as he spoke. The expression of loss on Clarke's face, at the mention of the restaurant, was enough to make him feel remorse. The last thing she wanted to think about was her house blowing up.

She forced a smile to the side.

"You owe money for the food, by the way.”

The two looked at each other, slightly relaxed in their bodily expressions. She was strange, this girl. Bellamy felt that he knew her from somewhere, it was so easy to talk to her.

But that didn't cancel out the fact that Clarke was being nosy.

"Didn't your mother teach you to knock on the door?"

"I knocked, you just didn't hear me."

“So you thought it was a great idea to come in without being invited? Careful, it might look like you have...ulterior motives” He quipped, and walked slowly over to Clarke. 

Her blue eyes were almost indecipherable, and she stared back at him boldly, as if she didn't care about the dagger Bellamy was holding.

Clarke smiled wryly.

“I don't mix business with pleasure. I'll get to the point ... I know you want to find your sister and Monty is the only one capable of doing that. But won’t help you without a guarantee."

Bellamy raised the knife, running the tip of the object close to her face. Clarke raised her chin defiantly.

"I don't do business with amateurs." He tried to guess what the guarantee would be. A ride, maybe? Protection? He put the knife down. The object only served to convey a dramatic image of a dangerous pirate, but clearly she was not frightened ebough by it.

Clarke took a small object from her jacket pocket. The golden ball, encrusted with lines and dots on its surface. So that was what was causing so much confusion.

"Before I tell you what that is, I need you to give me your word."

Bellamy studied her. Who was that woman and why would she trust a pirate's word? Clarke seemed confident of her proposal, and he suddenly felt eerily exposed. It was as if she knew him well enough to know his nature, even though she had no relationship with him.

"Would you trust the word of a raider, princess?"

She took a step forward. She smelled like paint, sweat and a faint sweet aroma, similar to flowers. The hand that held the orb, small and delicate, had traces of blue and green, as if she'd washed it in a hurry.

"No. But in a brother's, yes. ”

Sternly, he took a step back.

"Miller told me about Octavia." Oh, but of course. "I know what it's like to want to find someone important, so I understand your concern."

"Don't talk about something you don't know ... You don't know me."

"I don't need to know you to know that." Clarke raised her eyebrows, looking lost in thought. "I would do the same, if I was in your shoes."

She knew that Bellamy would do nothing to endanger Octavia's life. It was a confidence in the love he had for his sister, and the fact that she managed to reach that part of him, without even knowing him, was terrifying.

He considered the proposal. She really seemed to understand Bellamy's despair, as if she had already been through the same situation. But his intuition told him not to trust her. He’d seen Clarke put a gun to the head of the Council's chief guard. Surely the girl had a lot to hide.

"Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn’t. But I don’t see any other way.” Clarke smiled, almost mischievously. 

She had an expectant gleam in her eyes, as if she dared him to say yes. A sense of wonder threatened to burn at the bottom of Bellamy.

She was nothing like he imagined.

“How about this: I'm going to drop you and your friends off at the nearest station." Bellamy looked at her, partially speaking the truth. She was right, after all. He was at a dead end.

But he wouldn't let her know that.

"Would you risk the chance to find your sister and still get rich?" This time she didn't smile. The blue eyes looked at him with intense seriousness.

"Are you trying to buy my services, Your Majesty?"

Clarke rolled his eyes, placing the little golden ball in Bellamy's hands. He ignored the electricity that ran through his body when his skin touched hers.

"What is it?"

"Have you ever heard about the treasure planet?"

Bellamy's eyes widened. She had to be kidding. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, Clarke keeping her face solemn. 

He burst out laughing.

“You are obviously not interested. Say goodbye to your only chance to find your sis- ”

"Wait!" He exclaimed before she left. “It's just… A fairy tale. You can't think I’ll believe in something like this.”

Clarke looked at him.

"You’re a space pirate, Blake."

"What does one have to do with the other?"

"You have two half-cyborg women in your crew."

"They are prosthetic members, have some respect."

"You live on a spaceship, for God's sake!" She exclaimed, exasperated. "You have certainly seen things you never thought were possible."

Bellamy considered for a moment. Indeed, a hidden planet with gold was not the most absurd thing he had ever heard in his life. He almost dated a woman with two heads once.

“Okay ... Let's say I believe that story. What does this- this ball have to do with it? ”

Then she explained everything. She talked about the ship that crashed near her restaurant, about the threat from Kane and the Council, and how she was sure they were after the map. Bellamy had a feeling she was leaving something out, something important. Clarke didn't look like a woman chasing gold. Certainly her goals went beyond simply finding the planet before the Council.

"And you want to take a chance like that just so that this supposed treasure doesn't fall into the wrong hands?"

She frowned and looked away at the orb, which was still in Bellamy's hands.

"You’re not worried about what the Council can do with that?"

"It's not my problem." He replied, nonchalant.

Clarke exhaled, irritated. Bellamy knew that she didn't like him from the start, despite the flirtations. But the fact that she didn't hide it from him was starting to piss him off.

“I don't know why I was surprised by the answer. Considering that you- ”

“That I’m what?! A pirate? ”

Abruptly, she took the orb out of Bellamy's hands, her blue eyes sparkling with anger and contempt.

"No. That you’re a murderer. ”

Bellamy's head seemed to have been hit. First, she caused the destruction of his ship, invaded his room and for what? Propose a deal and then call him a murderer. 

Talking to her was giving him whiplash.

"You shouldn't have told me that if you think so low of me, princess." He replied, acid.

“It doesn't matter what I think, but your attitudes. The most wanted pirate in the Andromeda belt, not for his achievements as a Captain, but for the assassination of the Chief of the Council… ”

He took a few steps, quickly, until they were face to face. Her face was so close that he could feel Clarke's breath on his skin. Her eyes, for the first time since they met, showed fear.

Bellamy sighed, tiredly. The anger he felt was not directed at Clarke, after all. She was not to blame for what she thought about him, after all, the whole galaxy saw him as a heartless monster. But he wasn't going to give that satisfaction and prove that she was right.

"Careful with what you say, Clarke." he said, in a low, almost soothing tone. He wasn't going to let his anger ruin the only chance of finding Octavia. "It wasn't me who was about to shoot the head of the guard, was it?"

She blinked several times, obviously confused by Bellamy's reaction. Clearly, she expected him to scream, or worse, hurt her. She wasn't the first person to think that of him, and she certainly wouldn't be the last.

Tired, hungry and angry, he turned away and looked at the huge window behind his desk, ignoring Clarke's presence in her room. A few seconds passed, the tension palpable in the air. He heard footsteps and the sound of doors closing, and when he turned again, she was gone.

He was alone.

* * *

**APOLLO XX SPACESHIP DECK**

Miller was bored.

While keeping Monty and Raven company, who repaired parts of an old computer on the commander's repair table, he watched the interactions between the crew and the new passengers.

Jasper looked like a ball of energy, and followed Emori around the ship asking questions and more questions. Although she was extremely irritated with the boy following her like a puppy, Miller noticed some smiles contained in the corner of the brunette's mouth while she explained how her mechanical arm worked.

Murphy fiddled with the sails with a bored expression, probably praying for something to explode and get him out of the dull task. Abby didn't seem at all comfortable on board the Apollo, and decided to stay secluded in her makeshift room.

Clarke and Bellamy were nowhere to be seen.

Interesting.

"Hey, where's the Captain?"

Raven wiped the sweat off her forehead, leaving a trace of grease.

“Probably hitting his head on the wall. You know how he gets when things don't go his way. I heard him asking Murphy not to let anyone in his cabin. ”

From the top of the sails, Murphy swore. His position didn’t have a much clear view of Bellamy's room. Anyone could get it…

“And Clarke? Do you know where she is, Monty?”

His ex-boyfriend frowned, as if he was struggling to remember. After seeing him again, Nathan didn't know exactly what terms they were on. Monty remained pleasant and adorable as always, but there was something different about his eyes when he looked at him. Miller tried not to bother, and avoided talking about it since the explosion, but the feeling that Monty was feeling sorry for him crept into the back of his mind like a parasite.

The wires Monty stirred sparked, almost electrocuting his fingers.

"She went to see the Captain, I think."

He exchanged a look with Raven. They knew how difficult Bellamy could be, especially after things literally blew up. And he really, really hated that other people came into his quarters.

Things would be less tedious in a short time. Poor Murphy.

"Clarke seems brave." said the commander, trying to start a conversation.

"She does?" Monty exclaimed, distracted. He stopped what he was doing with the computer and looked at the other two. "Oh yes. Too brave. Always getting into trouble. Too stubborn too. When she wants something…”

"Huh." Miller murmured. "Looks like someone I know."

Raven chuckled.

"What about the Captain?" Monty asked, looking genuinely interested. "What's he like?"

“Difficult to put it into words. Since I met Bellamy, he only cares about two things: his sister and surviving. There isn't much space in his life for things other than that. "

"Yeah." Miller agreed. "He can be a little crude at times."

Raven let out a loud laugh, and the two soon joined her. Crude was an understatement.

A loud door banging interrupted the group. Clarke hurriedly left the Captain's quarters, looking upset. Her hands were fisted at her sides, and she marched through them like a six-foot storm, stamping her feet and huffing in irritation.

"Unbelievable." She murmured as she headed for the stairs to her room. “How dare he ... Hypocrite. I tried to talk and he- urgh! "

Miller, Raven and Monty looked at each other in amazement. The explosion Murphy wanted so badly was about to happen.

Bellamy came out of his cabin with an austere expression, with hands on his hips and messy hair. His shirt was open, as if he had dressed in a hurry. Raven nudged Miller, with a comical laugh. Monty cleared his throat, blushing slightly, probably wondering what the two of them were doing in Bellamy's room to get him looking like that.

"Where the hell is Murphy ?!" He practically screamed. His thick voice reverberated through the ship loudly. If Miller didn't know his friend so well, he would say that he was about to throw some punches.

Murphy's slender shape appeared between the sails, cursing under his breath. With the enthusiasm of a man forcibly condemned, he went down the ropes to the Captain.

“What part of‘ don’t let anyone in my room ’, did you not fucking understand?”

"Huh…"

Bellamy remained standing, eminent and irritated, with his hands on his hips in an authoritarian position.

"No one from the crew comes into your room, I didn't think she-"

"Oh, you didn’t think?!"

"Sorry, Captain." Murphy said, slightly frightened, but his expression was almost amused. "It won’t happen again."

Miller bet that yes, Clarke would enter the Captain's quarters again.

"You’re off the lookout."

"But-"

"Now you’re in charge of the bathrooms and the dishes."

"Captain, I-"

"Are we clear, Murphy?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Excellent." Bellamy watched the rest of his audience. Raven laughed silently, lying on the deck floor, her body squirming comically.

Miller raised his hands with both thumbs up and smiled.

"Good night, Captain."

"Go fuck yourself, Miller."

* * *

Dinner was uncomfortable.

After the plan to make a deal with the Captain backfired, Clarke went to help in the kitchen, ignoring Jasper's chatter and discounting her frustration at the unfortunate task of peeling potatoes. Apparently, besides being great at fights, Miller knew how to cook very well, and she, Jasper and Monty volunteered to help prepare dinner, in order to contribute to the crew after they saved their lives.

Blake was nowhere to be seen, probably too engrossed in his own arrogance to show his grace, and Clarke was grateful that she didn't have to face him so soon after their argument.

What infuriated her most, besides his impertinence, narcissism and irritable temper, was that deep down - not that she was willing to admit it out loud - he was right about her. Abby always said that Clarke was too proud for her own good, and there she was, proving to her mother over and over that yes, pride would still kill her. She hated being wrong, and she hated even more that tall, attractive, unbearable and gallant pirates told her she was wrong.

After all, who was Clarke Griffin, owner of her conceit and distorted views of reality, to judge Bellamy Blake? Like her, he had his disagreements with the Council, and despite what many said, it was not certain that he had actually murdered Jaha, leaving his orphaned son premeditatedly, as a plan of evil revenge. Although she resented this possibility for the sake of her friend Wells, she would give Bellamy the benefit of the doubt.

Clarke had almost shot Kane. She had, of course, thought of pulling the trigger and letting her anger get the best of her. If it weren't for Bellamy, interrupting her in the middle of everything, who knows what might have happened, and she would have to carry that burden for the rest of her life.

Therefore, despite the obvious dislike that Clarke felt towards the Captain of the Apollo XX, she could not judge him for his possible actions, much less feel superior because of them. But she wasn't going to let him know that. She would keep that information tucked away in the deepest part of her chest, and hope it didn't come out at an inopportune moment.

Fuck her and her terrible pride.

So when dinner was served, and everyone was seated at the table, on the deck of the ship - in the light of the stars and all that - she decided to ignore Blake completely, sitting at the other end of the table, opposite to him, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Which was difficult, considering the clean appearance, not full of blood and sweat, of the captain's shirt - which, she had to admit, was unfortunate.

Fuck him and his good looks.

It was so cliché, the whole situation. As if Blake came out of her darkest dreams, ready to take her on the biggest adventures of her life, all tattoos and earrings, looking like fucking Captain Hook (not Peter Pan, but Once Upon a Time). If only he could be civilised. 

Everyone ate in an awkward silence. The only sounds were from the Apollo engines and forks touching the dishes, and the air coming out of the ship's ventilation through the oxygenation system. Monty nudged Jasper, who cleared his throat.

“So, uh… Captain. We wanted to thank you for the hospitality. And for saving us, and such… ”

Next to Clarke, Abby looked more relaxed, but she kept her gaze on dinner, as if she was afraid Bellamy would execute her if she looked him in the eye.

Bellamy looked at Jasper impassively. He had a sullen expression, like petulant child. Oh, how Clarke wanted to punch him in the face.

"Sure. It's not like I have a choice, right? ”

With his answer, all of the eyes turned to her, curious at Clarke's reaction. Blake looked at her defiantly, his dark brown eyes gleaming with amusement.

_I should strangle him_ , she thought, but she remained unperturbed, focusing on pricking a piece of potato with her fork. She would not give him the satisfaction.

“But don't worry. Soon we’ll drop you off at a nearby station and you can go on your way. ”

Clarke paused the fork halfway to her mouth. He wasn't serious, was he? Blake would not leave Monty, the best chance to find his sister in the entire galaxy. All that drama he was doing had the purpose of pissing her off.

And she fell right into the trap.

"Of course. Monty will be happy to get off this stinking ship, and you'll say goodbye to your sister. ” The ship didn’t smell. She just wanted to make him angry.

"I don't-" Monty started to speak, but was soon interrupted.

“Don't talk about my sister as if you know me, princess. I thought you were smarter than that. ”

Clarke laughed. Her fork fell on the plate with a light thump. The eyes of the rest of the people followed the dialogue like a game of ping-pong.

“For the most feared Captain of ArkStation, you can be quite stupid, Blake. Don't flatter yourself to the point of thinking I'm afraid of you.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Raven give a surprised smile. Abby sighed, amazed at her daughter's lack of self-preservation. Bellamy frowned grumpily. Clearly his plan to irritate her into madness had turned against him.

"If you think I'm going to let you talk to me like that on my own ship-"

"What are you going to do? Make me clean the bathrooms? Face the facts, Captain, you are not as in control of the situation as you’d like. If I were you, I’d immediately think about accepting the deal, and stop wasting all of our time with your tantrums. ”

Miller raised his eyebrows at his Captain. Clarke could tell that they were close, probably best friends, and from the expression of the rest of the crew, she can deduce that Bellamy had not mentioned the map to anyone.

"What deal, Bellamy?" Miller asked.

The Captain remained silent, as if he gathered all his strength to not respond impulsively. Unfortunately for him, Clarke replied instead.

“I offered a generous payment to your Captain, in addition to Monty's help, to assist us in our mission. But he's too stubborn to accept, aren’t you, Blake? ”

"You what?!" Raven exclaimed, indignant. Her ponytail was like a whip when she turned her head to face her Captain. “Bellamy, we need the money. Apollo needs new parts, we can’t refuse- ”

“We don't need the Council chasing us across the galaxy with a prize in our heads, Reyes. This mission would only put us in danger. ”

"Wait." Murphy watched Clarke curiously. "How much payment are we talking about?"

“You know Thanatos' treasure? Half of it. ” Clarke declared and everyone fell into an astonishing silence. Bellamy knew that she had said that to undermine her morale, after all, they had not specifically mentioned a treaty agreement.

“Thanatos treasure? How is that- ”

"I never thought it would be true, I thought it was a legend-"

“-much money, enough to retire! Why-"

"I can't believe you refused something like that, how can you be so selfish-"

"QUIET!" Bellamy's thick, stern voice reverberated through the room, making everyone silent. "I hadn't made a decision yet."

"Since when do you make decisions without consulting us ?!" Emori exclaimed suspiciously, sending Clarke a wary look. Captain Blake looked at her angrily across the table, as if he seriously considered throwing her into space.

Before Bellamy could reply, Miller spoke.

“Look, man, I know this is a very unusual situation, but you’re not being rational. Do you want to find Octavia or not? Embarking on a dangerous mission, which can earn us a lot of money, doesn't it seem like a small price compared to the uncertainty of seeing her again? ”

"Her majesty hadn’t mentioned the amount of the payment." He murmured, still staring at Clarke with narrowed eyes.

She smiled innocently.

"Ah, I must have forgotten."

Silence again. The dispute of glances between the two continued, one silently challenging the other to speak first.

"So, do we have an agreement or ..." Murphy said, confused by the ambiguous outcome of the discussion.

"Yeah." Bellamy replied, grudgingly. “As long as the princess keeps her word and really gives us half the treasure. Considering that there is one, of course. ”

Clarke smiled, pleased with her performance. She didn't care about the money, after all. She just wanted to find her father. Blake could have it all, if in the end he proved himself worthy. But he didn't have to know that.

"Excellent. I need a ride to Sisna. ”

* * *

**APOLLO XX SPACESHIP**

**SISNA SPACE STATION, END OF THE ARTEMIS BELT.**

After the not so terrible dinner, Clarke got what she wanted. Blake had, albeit unwillingly, agreed to the mission in exchange for the possible treasure and, most importantly, his sister's location. Surely she would pay the price for it with the Captain's extra irritating attitude.

Things were happening so fast, she was having a hard time keeping up with her own feelings. Saddened by the loss of her home, worried about her mother, aspiring to find her father, irritated by being trapped in a ship whose captain was unpalatable and guilty of feeling, at the same time, so excited to visit new places. She had never left ArkStation other than District 2145-GF, which, frankly, wasn't much compared to the rest of the cosmos. The adventure that awaited her was so impressive, full of possibilities, that it left her breathless.

Despite everyone's exhaustion after the stressful events, they agreed to draw up a plan for the next few days. Blake had agreed to accompany her on the mission, as long as he managed to find his sister.

Monty had managed to fix an old computer with Raven, and had sent a message to Wells to meet them on Sisna, the most suspicious space station in Artemis' belt. 

Clarke had, after much reluctance, convinced Abby to hide with Wells, who lived on a small, almost deserted planet near Sisna. He’d previously agreed to protect her mother, and was waiting for news to meet with them.

Strangely, Blake had plans at the station related to his profession - something about goods and customers, which Clarke didn't want to know too much about. The less she knew, the better. Finally, exhausted physically and emotionally, she lay in her hammock, in the makeshift room, closing her eyes as soon as she leaned her head on the jacket she used as a pillow.

She woke up with a jolt. The Apollo had docked at the port of Sisna.

Everyone met on deck, reviewing the steps of the plan. Clarke and Jasper, in Murphy's disgusted company, would leave Abby with Wells safely at the station's street market. Bellamy, Raven and Emori would negotiate with former customers for the rest of the merchandise they had after an incident - unspecified, which made Clarke curious - while Miller and Monty would stay at the Apollo to locate Octavia and keep the map safe.

The Captain didn’t address Clarke at any time, which she found strange after the argument they’d had the night before. It wasn't as if he’d completely ignored her presence, after all, insisting on Murphy to accompany her to show the way. Just a nod, he gave her, before mixing with the crowd in the company of his commander and Emori. At least he’d been minimally polite.

So why was she feeling slightly disappointed?

"Wow!" Jasper exclaimed beside her, marveling as he descended the Apollo XX ramp towards the main port of Sisna. It was nothing like Clarke had seen before.

The station, gigantic and in the shape of a half moon, extended in front of it and on its sides, a huddle of ships, aircrafts and speeders amid the mixture of different faces and colors. Clarke had never seen such a variety of species together in the same place. Humans, silurians, khesugos, llaxpians and droids roamed the metallic streets, in a cacophony of eyes, scales, tentacles and pieces. All she wanted to do was sit down and draw all those different shapes.

Instead, she got a weapon.

"The Captain said you would know how to use it." Said Murphy, smiling strangely as he handed her a simple laser pistol. "Just in case."

"Are you usually that weird or ..." Jasper asked.

"Yep."

So Clarke, holding her mother's hand firmly, followed Murphy through the streets of Sisna, hoping that Wells had arrived safely at the station.

She didn't know what to feel after so long without seeing her best friend. She and Wells had practically grown up together on ArkStation. Jake was a friend of Jaha's, and they were always in business meetings together, leaving Clarke and Wells loose around the station, playing pirates - ironic, she noticed. 

They disagreed together too. When they were teenagers and more aware of the events around them, they always got into trouble for disagreeing with their parents' actions. The Council was a form of controlling, xenophobic and fascist government, and all they both wanted was for Jakes and Thelonious to get out of that terrible scheme. When Jaha was killed - allegedly, by Bellamy Blake - Wells swore never put his feet again in the Ark, moving to the small and deserted planet Oduh, in order to disconnect from everything related to his father's death.

A year later, Jake was gone. She had little contact with Wells, fearing that his messages would be traced and the Council would somehow seek him out so that he could take his father's place on the board. She and Abby had been expelled from Ark after the scandal and had not communicated with their old friend ever since. Until the fateful night of the catwoman accident.

The name Skaiheda remained in the back of her mind, as if warning her of something obvious, but impossible to understand.

Would Wells resent her for confabulating with her father's alleged killer? What would be his reaction after learning about everything that had happened to Clarke, and that she had made a deal with the pirate responsible for his greatest sadness in life?

As she walked through the streets of Sisna, her face covered by the hood of her jacket and a gun hidden at her waist, she prayed to the cosmic entities that this meeting would not end in explosions like the last time.

* * *

**SISNA SPACE STATION, END OF THE ARTEMIS BELT.**

"If you keep thinking this hard, that vein in your forehead will pop." Raven's voice sounds distant, almost a noise, as they walk through the busy streets, occasionally dodging vehicles and people wandering around. His commander watched him out of the corner of her eye, the strands of hair dangling from her ponytail and a smart gleam in her eyes. "That girl did quite a job on you, huh?"

Bellamy swore. The last thing he wanted to do was think about Clarke. The awkward dinner had shown him her capacity for coercion, and he hated to admit, but he’d been surprised by the woman's courage. How would he imagine that she’d have the guts to face him, in front of all the members of the Apollo, after the discussion in their quarters? After all, didn't she think he was a dangerous killer?

Two alternatives crossed his mind: Either Clarke was too smart, for Bellamy's misfortune, or she didn't care too much about dangerous situations (which was interesting, but a little worrying). And he feared that the two things might be correct.

"You haven't said a word since we left the Apollo." Raven continued, ignoring the Captain's sullen look. "I thought you’d be relieved ... We'll be able to find Octavia in no time."

Emori, who was walking behind while pulling a cart full of boxes, nudged his back, rushing them to walk faster. Those streets were famous for having too many eyes and ears.

"That girl is a problem ... I don't know if we can trust her."

“Of course we can't trust her, Bellamy. The Council wants her head on a tray. ”

"Then you understand my concern."

“Yes, but ... We're not exactly nice, are we? We’re also wanted. It was only a matter of time before the shit hit the fan, and now that has happened, all we have to do is try to get rid of the smell. ”

Bellamy didn't like the smile that threatened to escape his commander's lips. It was as if she was enjoying the whole situation, and the more he sank in frustration, the more she was entertained.

“Also, the Apollo will benefit from the extra help. You know that we are few people to carry out the tasks of a ship that big. Not to mention the reward… ”

"Could you, for a second, shut the fuck up?!" Bellamy finally exclaimed, the rest of his patience draining away like steam. “We’re just going to do what we have to do and get out of here as soon as possible. I can't stand this place. ”

Raven replied with a slight raise of eyebrows, and exchanged an enigmatic look with Emori. Perfect, in addition to having invaded his ship, Clarke was instigating a riot. The only thing that prevented him from getting her to walk on the plank was the possibility of finally finding his sister.

The three walked quickly and cautiously, turning the corner and reaching the meeting point they had set. Strangely coincidentally, the group that had an interest in the merchandise had been moored in Sisna since the night before, and Murphy had arranged to meet with some Silurians to negotiate while Clarke left her mother under the protection of a friend.

_A way to redeem myself after the reaper ship shitshow_ , Murphy had said. At least the man was doing something other than making sarcastic comments and cleaning bathrooms.

The back of the restaurant that was marked as a meeting place was dirty and messy. In addition to garbage bins, the rest of questionable food and rats roaming the place, some people walked by, not caring much about the three pirates. Sisna was known for its “delinquent” population, and the sight of Bellamy, Raven and Emori standing with some boxes in hand was not the most suspicious thing to be seen in those parts.

"Why are they taking so long?” Bellamy grunted, "Aren't Silurians known for their punctuality?"

“No, these are the Appalapucians. Silurians are the lizards that eat people. ” Emori replied. "You know, those who have poison on their tongues?"

Raven swallowed.

"I hope they’re not hungry ..."

The three remained vigilant, watching their surroundings while waiting for the buyers. Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes passed, and no sign of life from the Silurians. Bellamy was apprehensive. They couldn't afford to be exposed for that long, but they also needed the money to repair the ship. The Apollo, despite being a well-maintained vehicle, was running by leaps and bounds, and he did not know how long it would endure without new parts.

"There's something wrong." Raven finally spoke, brown eyes roaming passersby, none of them paying much attention to the trio. "Although they’re not very punctual, Silurians are good traders ... They wouldn't let us down that way."

Bellamy's body stiffened in tension. Suddenly, the back of the restaurant seemed too quiet, and the flow of people who used to pass by decreased dramatically, to the point that only he, Raven and Emori were left.

"Let's go back."

As soon as Raven uttered the words, a quick form appeared in her field of vision, passing like a blur towards Bellamy. A half-lizard man was running on his four limbs, his reptilian form crawling nimbly across the floor. Before Raven could even shout a warning, he knocked the Captain down, his two claws resting on his chest, pinning him to the dirty pavement.

"Captain!" Emori screamed, too late, pointing her arm/gun at the creature, who was watching Bellamy with malicious interest. Raven held the pistol in her hands, looking around to make sure there was only one threat, but she was wrong. They were so preoccupied with watching the streets that they forgot to pay attention to the surrounding rooftops, and she could identify at least three Silurians above her, all crouched in a combat position.

"Don't shoot!" Bellamy shouted, the alien's face inches away from his. The breath was unbearable, and the stench of rotting flesh was so strong that it made him dizzy. The Silurian continued to pin him against the floor, and looked at him as if he expected something.

With his peripheral vision, he could see Raven aiming her weapon upwards. There were probably Silurians on the roofs too. He couldn't see Emori, but he could see the red dot on her gun's laser aimed at his captor's forehead. The seconds passed, and no one moved. The lizardman's poisonous tongue hissed close to his face, and Bellamy tried very hard not to move. They were helpless.

If he moved to pick up his weapon, the poisonous tongue would find him in milliseconds and Bellamy would be completely paralyzed. If Emori shot the creature, it could buy a few seconds for a possible escape, but they didn't know how many Silurians were actually watching them.

_What the fuck is going on?_ he thought. _Are we being robbed, is that it? Why didn't they pick up the goods and left? What are they waiting for?_

" _Vrara ek mrs kov_?" The lizard hissed, the green reptile eyes blinking like an alligator's. It occurred to Bellamy that he could not speak Silurian very well. The only words he knew were merchandise, drink and money.

“Look, man, I don't know what's going on ... I thought we had an agreement. The merchandise is there, right? Karcodureo? ”

The lizard pressed him further against the ground, and the Captain's ribs squeezed his lungs painfully. The alien's weight was making him run out of air.

" _Mrs. kov_!"

“Mrs. kov? What…?"

"He said map, Bellamy!" Emori translated. "They are after some map."

But of course they were after the fucking map. Clarke would pay for the lost merchandise, he would make sure of it.

"I don't know what they’re talking about." He said through teeth. "We don't know about any maps, tell him that, Emori!"

_“Mãu kobakuk by mamrik kovo!_ ”

“He said that they know it’s with one of us. He said to deliver the girl. ”

So they thought the map was with him or Clarke. They were probably after her too, in divided groups. He needed to lose them and warn Clarke that she was in danger. Raven would kill him if they got out of that situation alive. She always insisted on acquiring communication material for the crew, but Bellamy never listened to her (literally).

"How many of them?" He asked, facing the Silurian angrily. That breath was pissing him off.

"In addition to him, three more on the roof." Raven replied.

"Salusa Secundus?" He said the code that they used for shooting and running situations.

"Hell yes. Do not move." Emori fired.

It all happened at an astonishing speed. The lizard's body fell to the side, lifeless, the weight partially on Bellamy, making it difficult for him to access the weapon at his waist. Raven and Emori started to retreat and shoot towards the roof, protecting him as he got up from under the body. The other three Silurians returned the shots, but didn’t leave the roof, avoiding exposure, which gave the Captain and his companions an opening to run.

"Spread out!" He shouted, dodging bodies and bumping into sales stands in the middle of the street as soon as they left the back of the restaurant. “I'm going to find Clarke! Try to mislead them, we'll meet at the Apollo! ”

The three parted ways. Running through the streets of Sisna to outwit his pursuers, Bellamy headed for the market, where Clarke was. The environment was crowded, and it would be difficult to find her there, but it’d also be hard for the Silurians.

While running for his life, Bellamy, in his obscure subconscious, considered leaving Clarke behind. The map had stayed on the Apollo, and if it were fast enough, he would be able to escape before she realized that she had been tricked. It wasn't like he wanted her to invade his ship and get into his life like that. He’d just be getting rid of a headache, for sure.

However, as he slowed his steps and camouflaged himself in the crowd, he realized that he’d already made a decision. He covered his head with the cap of his overcoat, his gun held in his right hand inside his coat and, mingling in the sea of people, went looking for Clarke.

* * *

**SISNA SPACE STATION, END OF THE ARTEMIS BELT. YESA STREET MARKET**

"You can't sit there." Murphy warned, his mouth smeared with purple, as he chewed a radioactive-looking fruit.

"Why not?"

"Why- Because this isn't a stone, you idiot, it's a Rilia crab."

The “rock” on which Jasper sat moved, and six legs appeared beneath the rocky shell as it started walking slowly, with the boy still on top of it.

Clarke laughed at the scene of her friend strolling over a giant arthropod. She’d heard stories and seen images of the different creatures that inhabited other planets, but nothing compared to the experience of seeing everything in person. She was amazed by the different types of life, clothes, colors and foods in every corner of the market, and she wanted to try every exotic fruit and taste every unusual accessory she found ahead of her.

Unfortunately, her situation was not that of a tourist, but of a fugitive.

They'd been waiting for Wells for a few minutes, near a greengrocer. Time seemed to drag itself, and the crowd passing by made Clarke more apprehensive by the second. They needed to be quick, if the Council had managed to track Apollo.

Abby hadn't said a word since they left the ship, her worried expression unchanged the entire way. She squeezed Clarke's hand tightly, as if she could escape every second, and looked back endlessly, afraid she was being followed.

She knew that her mother was not at all happy with the arrangement, and that she wanted Clarke to hide at Wells' house too. However, despite being distressed by the danger that her daughter was going through, she knew that any effort to make her change her mind was futile, and contradicting her could only make things worse. If she refused to hide with Wells, Clarke would spend all her time trying to keep her mother alive, and putting her safety in front of Abby.

"Jas, get off the crab." Clarke finally spoke, seeing that her friend was being taken away. The boy snorted and got off the animal, arms crossed like a petulant child.

"Party pooper."

"Clarke?" A voice that didn’t belong to the group said, sounding nostalgically familiar.

"Wells?"

Wells Jaha didn't seem to have changed anything physically. He still had the same haircut, the same birthmark on his left cheek, the same noble posture. His dark skin seemed to glow in the sunlight of Sisna, and despite the scarves that covered his head and neck and the sweat that ran down his forehead, he smiled when he saw Clarke.

Clarke threw herself into his arms, squeezing him with extraordinary force. She’d missed her friend so much, and seeing him well-at least physically-was a huge relief.

"Clarke, you're crushing me ..." murmured Wells in a choked voice.

She released him immediately, taking in his form with slightly watery eyes.

"Sorry ... I missed you. How are you?"

They both knew that that simple question had an unimaginable weight. What she really wanted to say was _How are you after your father's death? Do you feel as alone as I do? Do nightmares still keep you awake?_

The look of regret and weariness he sent her was enough to know the answer.

"Never been better."

Abby cleared her throat behind Clarke, and she was startled by the noise. She remembered her mission, and how much they were in danger standing there. She needed to hand over her mother and get back to the Apollo right away.

"Hello, Abby." he said politely. Clarke almost rolled her eyes. Wells always maintained good manners, even in the most bizarre situations.

“Wells, this is Jasper, my friend. And this is Murphy, my ... security guard. ”

Murphy rolled his eyes, but waved nonetheless. Jasper shook Wells's hand.

"Nice to meet you all."

Clarke had so much to discuss with him. She wanted to tell what had happened at the restaurant, the Council's threats, the explosion. The map.

Shit, the map.

"Thank you." That's what she managed to say, without breaking into tears. “For helping us. It’s a long story, my mother can tell you at another time. I-"

She cut off the sentence she was going to say, and Wells looked at her intently, his eyes gentle and at the same time concerned. Something in his expression seemed out of place, as if he were at odds with himself.

"Your escape with Captain Blake is giving people something to talk about through the Belt."

Clarke's blood froze. She was avoiding talking about it as much as possible, shamefully hiding her lack of scruples. She couldn't imagine how Wells felt betrayed. And yet he helped her.

"Wells, I-"

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Clarke." he interrupted, shaking his head. The other three watched the scene in silence, feeling the excruciating tension of the conversation.

After all, what to say to your best friend when you’re on an adventure through the galaxy with the man who killed his father?

"Sorry" seemed so insignificant in the face of the hurt that Clarke's actions had caused. A simple sorry would not, in any way, heal the wound that she had opened, torn, and slashed in Wells' chest.

"I understand." he said. "Despite everything, I understand why ... After all, I would also do the same if I had any chance of finding my father alive."

Clarke wished he had yelled at her, called her names and asked her to never look him in the face again. The sheer disappointment in Wells' eyes, and at the same time, the feeling of loss that accompanied it, was a thousand times worse than any fight they had ever had before.

But he understood.

He would do the same, if Jaha were alive.

If Bellamy hadn't killed him.

"Wells, I-"

A hand took her arm, startling her. Bellamy Blake appeared breathless, his eyes roaming the market frantically.

Perfect timing.

"Look, I know you guys are catching up, but we need to get out of here _now._ "

* * *

For someone so small, she ran very fast.

Maybe it was the adrenaline, the fear of being captured, or maybe she drank too much coffee. Bellamy suspected that the fuel for Clarke to fire so quickly was none of the aforementioned alternatives.

She was mad at him. The kind of fumes-coming-out-of-ears angry, that’s how furious she looked. Not-so-furtive looks every second, blue eyes sending sparks of revolt towards him.

Bellamy was not scared. He was a six-foot-two pirate, who’d previously fought the most dangerous mercenary species in the galaxy. A woman whose head hit his chest was not something that made him feel threatened.

She was like an angry gnome.

A very attractive, fascinating, unbearable and intimidating gnome.

After meeting Clarke, things got even more chaotic. She seemed to be in the middle of an intense conversation with her friend, and Bellamy's arrival seemed to inflame things even more.

The man had looked at Bellamy as if he were the most insignificant piece of space junk. Clarke had cursed him out loud. Murphy was so surprised that he choked on the seed of the fruit he was eating. Surprisingly, it was Abby who took charge of the situation before things got out of hand.

After briefly explaining what was going on, Bellamy watched Clarke say goodbye to her mother and friend painfully quickly, the latter watching the Captain with explicit hatred in his eyes.

Interestingly, the young man's face was somehow familiar. As if they had met before, but he couldn't remember where.

Jasper and Murphy went together to warn Raven about the plan they had developed. Abby and the other man disappeared into the crowd quickly, while Bellamy and Clarke tried to outwit the Silurians. Their dispersion into small groups with luck would confuse the aliens as to the map's whereabouts, and the chances of being captured decreased.

It was during the rush, then, as the two moved through the throng of buyers, sellers, and smugglers, that Bellamy noticed the angry looks that Clarke sent him. He didn’t understand the nature of what she felt. After the events of the previous day, he should be the one angry with her.

He decided to ignore it. The stress of running away from poisonous lizards was high enough.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

“A store in the center. There is a passage in the underground that takes us to a disabled port. Raven will pick us up with the Apollo. With any luck, we’ll outwit the Silurians and escape unscathed.”

Clarke said nothing more, and continued to move quickly through the streets, easily following Bellamy's stride. He felt a twinge of disappointment.

He expected her to make a sarcastic and intelligent comment, but nothing came out of her mouth. Her brow was furrowed in a painful, angry expression.

He had no idea what was going on in that woman's mind.

"We’re here." Bellamy announced, looking over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. The abandoned store was in an almost deserted area of the station, and few people passed through it because it was a deactivated and dangerous place.

Clarke looked at the room suspiciously and held the gun in her hands, which looked shaky. From her posture, it was notable that she was not used to holding a pistol, but Bellamy knew that if necessary, she would use it.

He deftly entered the back of the empty old store, Clarke close behind. Dusty shelves, boxes and remnants of metal objects adorned the place with an almost post-apocalyptic aspect. It would be no surprise if zombies showed up to eat their brains.

"How do you know about this place?" Clarke broke the silence. Her blue eyes scanned the store,nose wrinkled in an adorable way. “You know what, don't tell me. I don't wanna know. ”

Bellamy held back a laugh. They walked to the staff area at the back, where an open door showed a stairway to what appeared to be a basement.

"My ex girlfriend worked here."

"And did you have any fetish for underground escapes, or..."

“Funny, but no. Echo has always been more of the type who likes leather and whips. I know about the passage because, well … I always got into trouble and she helped me escape. ”

The stairs led to a completely dark room, and Bellamy had to turn on his flashlight.

"Ladies first."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't think twice before walking towards the stairs, and Bellamy followed closely, lighting the way and closing the door behind him.

Suddenly, the thought that he was alone, in a tight, dark place with Clarke made him uneasy. Was it his impression, or it was getting hot?

They followed down the stairs, the air getting heavier and rarer. The oxygen ducts weren’t functioning properly, and the further down the station they were, the harder it was to breathe.

"What happened to the store?"

She looked less angry. Her tone was restrained, but there were notes of genuine curiosity in her voice.

“This part of the station’s been deactivated. A lot of problems with the structure, became dangerous. ”

Clarke laughed sarcastically and stopped halfway.

They had already descended all flights of stairs, and were going through a rusty metal tunnel that, to Bellamy's unhappiness and despair, was too tight to walk side by side. Which left him with Clarke staring too close in such a narrow space.

“Now you tell me that? After dragging me underground, you say casually that the site was disabled because it was _too dangerous_? ”

The heat increased as Clarke stared at him. It was as if the two gray blue spheres of her eyes blinded him in the middle of that incalculable darkness. Sweat was running down Bellamy's forehead, and his blouse was already soaked from the stuffy atmosphere.

"I'm used to the area." He replied, taking off his overcoat and tying it around his waist. His curly hair was wet with sweat and he ran a hand to get it out of his eyes.

"Besides, I have a feeling that you don't care."

Clarke watched the Captain's movements, and, realizing that she, too, was making matters worse by continuing to wear her jacket in that warm place, did the same as he did.

The white blouse she was wearing was also soaked - nonetheless, _transparent_ \- causing severe palpitations in Bellamy's chest. He was confused.

_How could he be so attracted to such an irritating person?_

Clarke had infiltrated his ship, taken his authority from his own crew, involved him in a stupid treasure hunt! Not to mention the constant ironic, contemptuous and arrogant statements.

Why did she have to be so beautiful?

"I don't care about what?"

"Being in danger."

And it was dangerous, the game they were playing. Fight, flirt, irritate each other, flirt again. The cycle seemed to repeat itself more and more frequently, and considering the circumstances, giving in to physical desires didn't seem smart at all. Clarke was not the type of woman Bellamy would have a night of just frivolous pleasure.

She continued to stare at him, defiant as always. But something in her expression indicated that she wasn't feeling the same as Bellamy- damn hormones. It was something like curiosity, and endless sadness.

"Why did you kill him?"

"What?"

“Thelonious Jaha. Why did you kill him? ”

The question felt like a bucket of cold water for all that uncomfortable heat. Why was she so obsessed with that story? Was it a way of further affirming the theory that Bellamy was the monster that everyone claimed to be?

"I can ask you the same thing." He responded acidly. He would not affirm or deny the fact. Let her come to the conclusion that Bellamy was not a good person after all. 

"Why did you almost shoot Kane?"

"This has nothing to do-"

"Ah, but of course it has" He leaned forward slightly, his brown eyes looking intently at the blue ones. “You can judge me all you want, princess. But you also have shit to deal with ... And just as you are entitled to your secrets, I am entitled to mine.”

So he waved his hand away, ending the unpleasant conversation. Clarke took one last look at him - outrage, anger, shame - and went through the tunnel towards the door that would take them straight to the Apollo XX.


End file.
